Valentine's Day
by Riyu Shimoji
Summary: Aurikku, MY style. I hope you like reading it as much as I loved writing it. Complete, a prologue, 20 chapters, and an epilogue. I apologize for the paragraphs and lines clumped together; they will be fixed soon!
1. Prologue: Someday, Somehow

Prologue  
["The War is Over" by Sarah Brightman]  
  
My statues are falling  
Like feathers of snow  
Their voices are calling  
In a whispering world  
Waiting for the morning glow  
  
Heaven is calling  
From a rainy shore  
Counting wounded lights falling  
Into their dreams  
Still searching for an open door  
  
In morning dew  
A glorious scene came through  
Like war is over now  
I feel I'm coming home again  
Pure moments of thought  
In the meaning of love  
This war is over now  
I feel I'm coming home again  
  
Auron had been right, those two years ago, when he told the young lady summoner and her entourage that he didn't belong here. Only now, however, did he become fully sure of it.  
The Farplane truly was beautiful. He was, too, and so were Jecht and Braska. They had faded into holograms shrouded in rainbow-colored pyreflies. It was unlike anything he'd ever imagined, and yet a shame not to be wished upon the young and living. For the young and the living deserved a chance to live among the fields of multicolored flowers and the waterfalls in the deep canyons, gleaming different hues through the powerful auroras and the moonlight. The smell and taste of the air put rainbow skies after storms to deep shame, and the breeze flowing through his weightless and transparent body was enough to carry him into a tranquil slumber beyond the imaginings of the living.  
But Auron wondered how long people, the living and dead alike, would continue believing that this is where souls were supposed to "rest" forever. For two years he had "lived" on the Farplane in rampant unrest. Thoughts streamed through his mind about Lady Yuna, and Tidus, and the rest of her guardians. In two years, no one had come to conjure up his hologram. Even though he couldn't speak to the living, just being able to set eyes on the group would be marvelous. He had been much too stubborn and prideful to stay when he had the chance.  
That was... until about three months ago. "Vegnagun"... what was it? And why of all places would it be here on the Farplane? Those questions went unanswered, but for a moment he thought he saw her again. He rested himself as a mass of pyreflies again, so the picture went unclear, but oh, that voice... he heard it in a familiar young girl's panting for breath, having ran herself into exhaustion. Any minute he'd expected to hear, "Yunie? Can we rest now? Please?"... and when it disappeared for who knows how much longer, he thought that, if he was alive, he would have wept in frustration.  
The entrance to the Farplane in Guadosalam had been sealed, he knew that for sure. He'd tried to get out, like Lord Jyscal had done, but even if the entrance hadn't been sealed up, someone like Lady Yuna herself would misunderstand and banish him back into the Farplane with a second sending. And what a hard time he had explaining his attempt to escape to Lord Braska and Jecht.  
"The perfect bliss of the Farplane isn't enough for you, Auron?" Jecht had teased him, throwing him a swift left hook to the chest. And although his fist had gone through him, it was still a painful ordeal on Auron's part. He didn't know how he got away without letting his companions know the truth, but he did, and best not to ponder about it nor give off any more grounds for suspicion.  
But given that no one would come to do what someone did for Tidus, he couldn't lose hope. There had to be some way out of here.  
He played that day over and over in his mind. Since his arrival here, Tidus had been blitzing among the clouds by himself, trying to take his mind off missing the two worlds he left behind, and then there was that whistle. That high-pitched, bird-like whistle that sent him diving off the clouds and whistling back as if his life depended on it. Tears sprung into the boy's eyes and he yelled that it just had to be her. Pyreflies encased his body and materialized a solid foundation of hair, skin, bone, flesh, and blood. Auron, Braska, and Jecht had become invisible to him, but he waved off before stepping out into thin air and vanishing. Auron had burned with inner jealousy since then.  
He didn't understand why he missed Spira, and the others, so much. After those long and tiring days of being Yuna's guardian, he had become used to the routine, Auron guessed. It was a way of life for him, so being here felt unnatural. It was also because he couldn't avoid the feeling that he left something undone. And this part he had known ever since he permitted Yuna to perform his sending. The lady summoner had defeated Sin, and the feeling of that moment being a sort of final chance for all in the group overwhelmed him. He knew it would most likely be the last time he would see them all again, and the feeling that he only had one last chance to do something he had left undone frightened him. But how he wished he'd stayed there, to figure out what it was he still wanted, and what it was that made him feel like he was missing a part of his life, what was tugging at his heart like this.  
Pulling the collar of his large red overcoat onto his jawbone just now, he clenched a fist and held it to his chest, inside that jacket. "I must get out of here... I will. I have to."  
  
An arrow of freedom  
Is piercing my heart  
Breaking chains of emotion  
Give a moment to pray  
For lost innocence to find its way  
  
Fields of sensation  
A cry in the dark  
Hope is on the horizon  
With a reason to stay  
And living for a brand new day  
  
In morning dew  
A glorious scene came through  
Like war is over now  
I feel I'm coming home again  
Pure moments of thought  
In the meaning of love  
This war is over now  
I feel I'm coming home again  
  
...To you... 


	2. Meet Rikku

Chapter 1 

There was a sweet, peaceful breeze that feathered out the leaves of the massive palm trees on Besaid Island on February 14th. A pair of jade- emerald eyes opened, exposing their unique spirals to the midmorning light that poured in through the gaps in the blanched roof of the straw hut. A delicious smell wafted through the tropical air and Rikku bolted upright, taking in the scent and almost tasting it. This girl had sunbleached golden-blond hair that was gathered into two thin beaded braids at her ears and the rest of it hanging in a messy ponytail in the back, resembling a horse's tail, all under a large blue headband that seemed to be taking over her whole head. Orange feather earrings hung from her earlobes like tiny flames lighting up the cream-ivory of her face. She stood in what seemed to be a yellow-orange bikini top, pale yellow ribbons tied around her arms in bows, an ostentatiously-short and wide-pocketed olive-green skirt that revealed the strings of a thong at her hipbones, navy-blue boots over her ankles with white toes and yellow ribbons at the heels. Her red scarf hung low enough to brush against her calves. The faint smell of hot food grew stronger and she sat upright, looking to see a tall woman at her right in a thick, woolen gray dress, wondering how she could wear something like that in the subtropical heat. She stood with her back to Rikku, surrounded by many colorful rugs and wicker baskets similar to the rough-framed bed she was lying on.

"Are you awake?" asked the woman, turning her head to look at him and giving way to the sound of the contents bubbling in the pot in front of her. Rikku thought she was stunningly pretty, with a perfectly-shaped face, fiery scarlet eyes, purple lipstick and her hair pulled tightly into several thin, dark-brunette braids that hung down to her thighs. She had various needles and colorful pins holding her hair at the top of her head. Her voice was mysterious and quiet. The woman turned around and it was seen that the front of her dress was cut extremely low on her round, carved bosom that it looked like it should fall off at any minute. Rikku had known Lulu for years now and wasn't bothered by it anymore.

"Yeah... finally. How long have I been sleeping?" Rikku yawned and stretched.

"Maybe for about three hours now. Gippal dropped you off pretty early this morning." Lulu smiled warmly and went back to stirring her concoction. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"I feel great! I think I wanna run out onto the beach for a bit."

"Have you had anything to eat yet?"

"Huh?"

"Here. I made lunch. Wakka should be coming home soon." Lulu took the pot off the stove and set her dish into three hearty-sized ceramic bowls, patterned with colorful stripes that matched the same decorative scheme all about the small tent-like house. She sampled a bit of what seemed to be pasta in a thick tomato-like sauce with meat and fish in it.

"This is good! I've never had this before. I didn't know you could cook so well!"

"What with the baby and all, and Wakka being so busy coaching the Aurochs again, my next option is grazing." Lulu turned around and checked on the baby, asleep in his crib, and wrapped in a vibrant, neon and multicolored set of blankets imported from Kilika. She and Rikku turned around at the rustling of the dark rug that hung over the doorway.

In walked a man who could have been nearly 6'5" because of his auburn hair that stood up like a tall ocean wave, but in spite of that he was short and stocky, although still very muscular. His eyes were a flaming cinnamon- brown and friendly underneath a big blue headband that made his hair stand. He wore a silver fish necklace on overall straps that connected to a patterned vest which was part of a yellow baggy pants suit. Various arm guards and long sporting gloves covered his thick arms. Along with him blew in the smell of sea water.

"Hey there, Lu!" he greeted her cheerfully, kissing her cheek and making Lulu blush slightly. "How's our boy?"

"Sleeping soundly. It was cute. He and Rikku, lying there quiet and breathing in synch... Well, quiet except for Rikku's snoring and all."

"Hey! I don't snore!" Rikku exclaimed softly, so as not to awaken her friends' son.

"I'm just teasing," Lulu's violet bottom lip spread as she formed a wide grin.

"Hey, you made lunch!" Wakka said, throwing an arm around Lulu's shoulders. "Thanks!"

"You smell like seawater." Rikku and Wakka laughed as the three of them heard a soft thundering coming from far outside.

"That sounds like the Celsius," Lulu told Rikku. "Wasn't Gippal going to come back to get you?"

"Yeah," Rikku said with a confused expression, "but that wasn't supposed to be until like 5:30. He's planning a special dinner for Valentine's Day and then we're going to see Yunie in a private concert for awhile. It's for us, but I think she's doing it mainly for Tidus. Oh yeah! And she told me to ask if you two wanted to come."

Lulu and Wakka reflected each other's embarrassed looks. "I think I'm going to let Wakka try to do something romantic tonight," Lulu told her shyly. "Things are different when you're a married couple. You young people have fun."

"Okay! Well, if you change your mind, just tell us, and we'll pick you up. Yunie's gonna be singing at the Moonflow. I'll see you later, okay? I'm gonna see who's there."

Rikku waved off politely and dashed out of the straw hut, her small boots padding against the worn cobblestone pavement with clumps of grass emerging between the crevices. She stalked her way up the steep dirt hill and ran along the beaten path leading to the beach. Large pieces of ancient machina fell across the treetops. When she reached the twisting tree roots at a corner, a colorful flickering caught her eye and she stopped. She remembered that door, a red and rusted piece of machina, that served as an entrance to a chamber in which she, Yuna, and Paine had discovered a sphere. That door was ajar for some reason, and the screen and button on the control panel were busted. Beautiful rainbow-colored pyreflies came flowing out of that door like a ribbon in heavy winds or water.

"Wh-what!" Rikku stammered, peering in and seeing nothing but darkness, unable to find the pyreflies again. She pushed the door in further and walked inside, hearing nothing but water trickle from the ceiling down onto the damp floors.

"RIKKU!" a voice shrouded in static called out in the darkness. Rikku shrieked in fright and swerved, then remembered the transmitter in her pocket. "Rikku! Come in already!" Brother's voice resonated throughout the cavern. "We've been trying to contact you forever!" His voice was high-pitched and loud, and in the familiar Al Bhed accent.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Rikku sighed and tucked the transmitter back in her pocket. Checking over her shoulder one more time, she saw nothing, and continued on toward the sandy beach.


	3. Possibilities

Chapter 2 

Loud jets sounded in the sky and a red blotch in the horizon became much clearer as the other red airship neared Besaid Island, sweeping up light waves of salty mist up onto the coast. Brother landed gently on the water's surface, straddling the beach, and a figure stepped out as the Celsius opened.

"That can't be Gippal already, can it?" Rikku asked herself as her boots crunched through the hot sand. "Heyyyyy!" she yelled out, waving her arms.

"Hi Rikku!" Yuna's voice resonated, reaching her ears along with a rush of wind. Tidus hopped down from the Celsius and followed close at Yuna's heels.

It was quite picturesque, and it made Rikku smile satisfactorily. Yuna came up running in a strapless white top with a large opening in the front, wide yellow leather armlets laced around her biceps, tiny boyleg shorts, and a belt that carried two pouches containing pistols and ammo. Half a long, denim skirt hung over her left leg and flared out in three sections with white lace. Her boots were the same deep navy as her shorts and reached just a little below her creamy beige knees. Her boyfriend, Tidus, followed with his feathery hair flared out in light spikes and he had on a silver necklace with the same symbol as the black one holding Yuna's tiny white blouse together in the right places. He wore a black punk- style suit that hung rather baggy over his white legs, suggesting he was something of a great athlete.

"How did you like your weekend in Kilika?" Rikku asked him.

Tidus' sky-blue eyes widened. "It was awesome! I didn't think it could change so much in so little time."

"We had fun," Yuna smiled. "We did a lot of shopping."

"So why'd you guys come back early?"

"Tidus was bushed," Yuna said with a light laugh, pulling her boyfriend along. "He wanted to come back to Besaid. He hasn't spent much time with Wakka since he came back. He says he wants to blitz for awhile."

"Yeah," Tidus said. "So if you need me, I'll be looking around for Wakka."

"Look for us around five-thirty!" Yuna yelled, waving her arm at him. Tidus grinned and shot her a thumbs-up gesture.

Yuna turned and faced Rikku. "I think it's great that you and Gippal are back together, at least for Valentine's Day."

"Yeah. But I wish he wasn't so busy with politics. He's been doing a lot as a go-between for Nooj and Baralai lately." Although Yuna had convinced the people under New Yevon and the Youth League to merge together in working toward a better Spira despite their differences, Nooj and Baralai still came to a few minor disagreements here and there.

"I'm sure he hasn't forgotten you. How could he?"

"Sometimes Gippal's... I dunno. Every now and then I keep re- discovering the reasons why he and I broke up so many times." Rikku sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Yuna's face was amiable and thoughtful. "Aren't there just as many reasons why you two got back together so many times, too?"

"...You're right, Yunie. You're always right." The two cousins smiled at one another, until Yuna's face fell suddenly and her stomach grumbled.

"Man, I'm hungry," Yuna laughed.

"I think Lulu and Wakka still have some stew ready up at their house."

"Thanks! Paine's still on the Celsius. We'll be here for awhile. Maybe you two can spend some quality time together."

"Who? Weren't we just talking about me and Gippal? Or do you mean Paine?"

Yuna rubbed Rikku's blond little head. "Paine, of course, silly!"

"Uh, Yunie... I dunno how well that'll work out."

"It's Valentine's Day! She doesn't look it, but I bet she'd sure like some company."

"Alright then... I guess it's worth a shot. Nothing's happening until 5:30 anyway..."


	4. Glory of the Gullwings

Chapter 3  
  
Rikku sloshed through the shallow part of the clear, salty ocean and made her way toward the Celsius, its front and wings emblazoned with sapphire-blue flames. The Celsius, this huge and impressive airship, was clean, organized, fast as lightning, and always bustlingly-busy with something going on in every part of it.  
"Brother! Frana ec Paine?"  
In reply to this, there was a loud mechanical clicking noise and then someone jumped out at her on long, springy legs. Clearly he was someone so many heads taller than her, with similar spiral-eyes that seemed slightly darker than Rikku's. His hair was thin and feathery and stood up in spikes. His nose made his face seem almost bird-like, and as her eyes swept down she caught sight of his denim overalls over his bare chest and shoulders, tattooed all over with the red and blue flames that trailed down to his stomach and arms.  
"She is in the cabin. Are you going to help her rearrange everything? It is a mess back there," Brother said in an accent. His voice was just as squeaky, high-pitched and loud. Every r sound was done with a flip of the tongue. He towered over Rikku with a gaze that showed how his eyes looked almost as if they were heavily-outlined with black eyeliner and then draped over with long lashes coated in mascara.  
"No!" exclaimed Rikku defiantly. "Why? That's your responsibility!"  
Brother's swirling navy eyes widened. "WHAT? Last week you said you were going to help clean up the cabin if I took you to see Gippal!"  
"I'm not listening!" Rikku exclaimed, running far back into a dark corridor, where double-doors slid open. A control panel inside the elevator offered a menu, and Rikku selected the screen of light that would take them to the cabin. Bouncing excitedly as if there was a beat playing in her mind, she began humming a somewhat patriotic tune as the gray titanium doors slid open and her boots thumped hard onto the wooden floor ahead of her. Rikku entered a room with ceiling fans whirring about and small tables across from a small bar, beneath a loft up onto which there were three large beds. A figure in black, leather, hardcore-style dress sat on a bar stool in front of the long counter.  
"Oh, it's you," the figure said in a voice very low for that of a woman. She turned on the stool and blinked her pretty set of fiery crimson eyes through a thin screen of a few spiked bangs. Her hair was short and messy in a stylish way, the kind of brown-gray as if streaked with silver. "Are you having fun?"  
"I feel great!" Rikku burst, jumping up and down. "Yunie said I should just try to spend some quality time with our good ol' friend Paine."  
The said Paine crossed one leg over the other, pointing one of her tall, high heeled black boots out into the air. "'Quality time?' You and me?" A thin smile spread across her lips as Paine entertained herself with the thought of the two opposites bonding in any way possible.  
"Yup!" Rikku blinked her pretty, hopeful eyes and continued bouncing as she did earlier. "You're going to the concert tonight, right?"  
"I never have anywhere else to go."  
"Great! We can rehearse!"  
"We can what?"  
"Come on, let me show you." Rikku reached up and seized Paine by her hands, pulling her off the bar stool. Paine's face contorted with an expression of great annoyance as Rikku moved the older woman's arms and tried to twirl her around a few times.  
"I don't think we should do this...."  
"Oh, come on!" Rikku wiggled around and put her arms around Paine's neck playfully. "'Although I know the world of real emotion has surrounded me'..." she sang out.  
"That's enough, Rikku!!" Paine exclaimed, feeling a deep red blush forming on her face. "Is it not enough that I'm supportive by showing up at every one of Yuna's concerts? I told you before, dancing isn't my thing. I don't dance. Ever."  
"I'll change that," Rikku said determinedly, with one hand on her hip and the other holding her chin in a thoughtful position.  
"Good luck doing that. Minus about fifteen respect points for that, by the way." Paine's sarcastic smile returned at the knowledge that saying so would annoy Rikku.  
"How many do I have now?" the blond Al Bhed whined.  
"Thirty-two."  
"Oh, man!! How do I earn more?"  
"Well, I'm hungry," Paine said, crossing her arms over and making her way out of the cabin. "If you still wanna bond, you can make it up to me by leading me to some food around here."  
Rikku sighed and let her arms drop for a moment, then plucked herself back up and marched on cheerfully. "Alright, then, on to Lulu and Wakka's house!" 


	5. The Beautiful Besaid

Chapter 4  
  
[Arabian Nights--Part 3: Promise, by Sarah Brightman]  
  
So  
Should I return to trace the shadows of my chases  
My steps will echo there from sand to stone  
I  
Will never let my eyelids close on empty spaces  
My dreams will fill the void with tales unknown  
Know the mighty infinite obscures the far horizon  
The whispered road I take will never bend  
Alone  
And will the wind return my story to its promise  
Or will my story chase me to my end  
  
The beauty of Besaid Island intoxicated the two girls as they ran through the ocean onto the beach without words. The misty, sea-salt air caressed their faces and the water's cold and dream-like comfort slapped around their thighs as a few tropical birds sang in the treetops of the palms, which overlooked cliffs that jutted out farther into the sea. Small colored tents and wicker baskets lined up the shore on their left, adjacent to a long, narrow wooden dock.  
As the two made their way up the winding path, the wind wafted the scents of wet plants and different kinds of fruit their way. Trees, shrubs, and similar vines intertwined together and made a thick, jungle-like formation that they couldn't see through, their leaves clashing pretty blends of teal, spruce, aqua, and lime colors. An animal's growl came from somewhere and four golden-cream colored coyotes leapt out at Rikku and Paine.  
"Fiends," Paine muttered, drawing out a long and impressive black sword with a skull pattern below its handle, which was designed with red dragon-like scales. "I hope you're ready for combat, Rikku."  
"Like anything!" Rikku shouted with zeal. She lunged at the coyote closest to her and slashed swiftly using a set of custom-made twin blades. "Come and get me," she snarled playfully at them.  
"Don't get bitten," Paine advised her before she charged at another and spun on her heel before striking it hard with her large sword.  
"This is going a bit too slow, don't you think?" Rikku raised her arms high in the air and let multi-colored lights encase her. The Al Bhed thief's clothes seemed to vanish and a new outfit formed around her silhouette. She now wore a purple tube top with a hole in its stomach, long matching gloves with fringes and white cuffs on the wrists. A long, yellow and violet half-skirt like Yuna's draped over her left leg. Pink tights with black swirls reached up onto her thighs and were suspended there by a black band with white fringes. Her boots were blue, loose and floppy like her original ones, and were striped with gold across the top and at the toe. Rikku poised herself with a red pistol wrapped in white and yellow cloth strips and a pink band for accuracy around the pistol's end.  
"Are you sure you've enough practice with Gun Mage skills?"  
Rikku answered that by opening the back of her pistol. "Don't move just yet! Save me some fun; I'm loading in a Silver Bullet."  
One of the lupines ran up to Paine and inflicted a few scratches. "Rikku!!"  
"Alright, alright!" Rikku hopped impatiently, waiting for her bullet to load, aimed, and popped it carefully into one of the coyotes, causing it to fall to the ground, turn blue, and burst into many different colored pyreflies.  
"Took you long enough. My turn." Paine stuck out her sword and let it glow. When it charged up, she approached a lupine and struck it down with a blast of colorful golden light. "Let's finish this."  
"Can I do the honors?"  
"Sure, whatever."  
Rikku loaded a Blue Bullet into the pistol. "Watch this...." She held it down as her gun charged up, then raised it to release an assault upon the two remaining coyotes. "Annihilator," she named it. "How's that?" she said in a cocky way, as the took a victory stance.  
"Are you quite through glorifying yourself yet?" Paine said jokingly, making her way up a slope.  
"Wait a minute..." Rikku paused, looking about her and focusing on the rusted machina door. More pyreflies flowed out as if in a stream. They danced into the tropical air as if to remain unnoticed. "Paine... have you ever seen these pyreflies before?"  
"No," Paine said, approaching the door and shuddering. "In that case we should leave it."  
"Why? Someone could have gotten hurt, or into trouble in here!"  
"All the more reason to avoid it, don't you think? It could be very dangerous. I say we report it to Yuna first, and let her decide what to do."  
"How come you don't trust me with these serious things, huh?"  
"Yuna and I can't even trust you to track down a chocobo."  
"Well, I'm going in," Rikku said, holding a hand onto her hip and starting to walk inside.  
"Rikku, no!" Though after saying this, Paine found herself following Rikku inside, hoping to catch up and drag her out again. Pyreflies danced everywhere, shimmering their light upon the cavern walls and the girls' hair, faces, and outfits. "Don't you remember what happened when we checked out that cave near Mushroom Rock?" she asked, panting and trying to find Rikku in the darkness. "Fine," she added when there was no answer. "If the fiends don't change your mind, the unsent ghost in there will."  
"I'm not listening!!" Rikku's voice finally echoed and reached her.  
"Rikku, I'm very serious...."  
Paine wandered more around the dark cavern, trying to follow where Rikku's voice had been coming from. Maybe if she used the Black Mage sphere on her Garment Grid, a good Fire spell might light up the cave. She almost materialized the plan as she turned around a bend and froze in her tracks.  
Rikku's loud, high-pitched scream probably resonated all through Spira, and deafened all those who heard it. 


	6. They Meet Again

Chapter 5  
  
Rikku felt as if something was passing through her body. She became lightheaded and barely kept any of her composure; her legs had nearly given out. For a minute she also began to think it had been a trick of the lights of the pyreflies. In any case, this definitely wasn't good for her at all.  
"Rikku?" asked an older man's voice, coming forth softly, yet to Rikku it pierced through the black of the cave and shook all of Spira. She figured it was making her delirious, and that she had to go... but she couldn't bring herself to do so.  
The voice belonged to the figure standing before her. Tall, statuesque, rugged-looking, and reflective of ancient wisdoms from a thousand worlds over. Though they were standing, facing each other in the dark, Rikku would still know that large red coat anywhere, and its buckles and straps hanging everywhere, and that huge band around his waist with two leather belts holding it together. One large hand hung out of the body of the left side of the overcoat, rather than utilizing the long sleeve hanging down near the man's waist. That white canteen lay at his right side, hooked to his coat by a few chain links. His right hand was gloved and stylishly wrapped in cloth strips, and it held the same familiar katana he had always carried, which was probably just about as tall as Rikku herself.  
If it had been someone dressed like him, maybe Rikku might have gotten mad and attacked that man just then. It wasn't until she recognized the collar of the overcoat pulled up to the end of the man's nose, and a set of large, round and rimless sunglasses, that her stomach turned to water and she suddenly felt that this wasn't happening. It just couldn't possibly be.  
"Rikku... is that you?"  
"Who... are you," Rikku nearly inaudibly whispered more to herself than asking this man that in a form of a question.  
"You know who I am," the voice replied in the same volume and tone. It was soft, tender, full of heart... like he could completely relate to the exuberance she was feeling, and that he wanted to comfort her more than anything. Rikku's heart melted into a sort of lava and drained out of her body.  
"Rikku!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Paine as she came running and nearly crashed into Rikku, who was still standing there with her mouth wide open and her eyes preparing to tear up, though the tears somehow wouldn't come. "Rikku, what in the hell...." Paine set her crimson eyes on the man Rikku had been staring at and gasped loudly.  
"Do not be afraid," he said. "I--"  
"You're Sir Auron," Paine said firmly. "I know well who you are. All of Spira does. And you don't belong here. You should go, right now."  
"Yes, I should," Auron nodded, "but I can't."  
"Is it really you?" Rikku managed to say, breathlessly.  
"It is. You look different, Rikku."  
Rikku lowered her head and tried to suppress the heaving sobs that were inevitably coming from deep down inside her heart, though she couldn't figure out why they were.  
It had been difficult, at first, for Auron to simply say that Rikku looked different. Well, yeah, like hell Rikku looked different, and he'd known that even before coming to Spira again, but he'd never imagined that it was this much. Setting his eyes on her just then, Auron felt as if he had been hit by a boiling-hot ocean wave, it was that much of a shock. She had grown up over these past two years, into a more voluptuous young lady with a figure it only seemed right for her to show that much of. Yet it was partly the ostentatious clothing. Compared to how much cleavage, flat stomach, smooth and tight thighs, and overall creamy tan he saw now, it would have been hard to say that Rikku was a pretty young woman two years ago. Maybe he had stumbled into a different part of the Farplane instead, the part where the souls of the dead were supposed to find their perfect happiness.  
And then there had been the bright, shining green eyes. Jade and emerald, almost. Auron had always subconsciously liked that color, and that private personal liking came up to the surface once he caught sight of Rikku's gorgeous Al Bhed eyes. He wondered, for a second there, if Rikku would have made such a powerful impression had Rikku's eyes been any other color, when he forced them open on that fateful day that Rikku joined the Summoner Yuna's entourage. Probably not.  
But for Yevon's sake, what is with that hairstyle? Auron would have smiled if it had been the right time, looking at the beads hanging in Rikku's braids and how wild the rest of her hair had been tossed around, long and like a lion's golden mane, and all held together sloppily under that blue headband. Perhaps some things never changed, and to Auron these youthful decorations were like a prelude to Rikku's frightened, innocent reaction like that of a child. Upon seeing him, Rikku's voice and face were lamblike, pure, soft.... Maybe he wouldn't have been able to stand himself anymore if their situation had been different.  
"Why are you here?" Rikku's voice shook as she spoke again.  
"I'm trying to figure it out myself," Auron chose his words wisely. "If I am meant to be here now, then I can say I'm complying with the wishes of someone who is still living. Now, are you going to show me around and let me see how you and the others have been living these past two years? I'd at least like to see Yuna again." 


	7. Deliverance

Chapter 6  
  
"I can't let you do this," Paine declared, though nervously. Her fists shook in unease, and she did not know herself what she was saying. "You don't belong here!"  
"I don't see what harm my presence does here, but if you wish me to leave..." Auron shifted the katana over his shoulder and stood, waiting for his fate to be sealed. Yet somehow, he couldn't quite figure out why it was that he knew he wouldn't be leaving. Not now, anyway. He hoped not for a very long time.  
"This is insane!!!!" Rikku yelled in spite of herself. "Just what are we doing here?"  
"Rikku, come to your senses. He's supposed to be on the Farplane, and here he is for purposes which we don't know, and he claims that he himself doesn't know."  
"But we can't just leave him here! And besides, we've rejected the Old Yevon tradition of the sendings!"  
"Then we fight him--"  
"Paine, NO!!!!!" Rikku tugged on her friend's shoulders as she poised to draw her sword. "WHAT ABOUT TIDUS???"  
"What about him?" Paine and Auron asked her at the same time.  
"Well," Rikku's shoulders curled inward as she explained nervously. "He's back, and he's real, and he's been with us for awhile now. Can't we give Auron the chance too?" Hearing his name glide off her own tongue made Rikku want to run away from everything and no longer wish to have anything to do with him or Paine. It also still felt like Auron was dead, and one rarely ever speaks of the dead as if they were still alive.  
"I... couldn't tell you about whether or not I'm 'real', sorry, Rikku," Auron spoke up, unfeigned sorrow in his voice. "I'm not even sure where I am, to begin with."  
Rikku walked up to him and lay her hands on his broad, wide shoulders. The instant her soft skin came in contact with his clothes, Auron felt a warm tingle spread all over him, and suddenly he had a real body, and real senses, with which to perceive her there. He stood there a moment, regaining the feeling in his skin and his bones, clenching his fists hard enough to feel genuine pain. There was no way this was a dream. He was alive again, here and now, and this was Rikku touching his heavy jacket.  
That jacket, Rikku observed, still had a musty sort of smell to it, but one that was like an ancient preserved and mild sweet spice. The scent made her stomach flip-flop twice over as she was taken back to those moments when they talked a little and walked together during Yuna's pilgrimage two years ago. Although the thought of Auron rarely ever left her mind these days, one thing she had forgotten was that smell, that overwhelming spicy sweetness that made her shy away. He just had to be real.  
"Oh my god, he's real," whined Rikku, holding her hands to her mouth and trembling.  
"Well, a 'Welcome Back' from Rikku is one I'll never forget," Auron said with a warm smile. "That is, if you will accept me here, and let me pass to go see the others."  
"Sh-sure," the blonde said deliriously, staring out with wide and watery eyes. "Follow me. This is a cavern found on Besaid Island a year ago...."  
Auron stepped out into the sunlight after the two ladies and took in the sensations that flooded his mind. Of course, the Farplane had made this all look crude, but this was his personal Farplane. While he was still here, and again he didn't know how long that would be, he wanted to stay as long as he possibly could. Living it all over again was nothing like remembering, though his memories had often been really close to bringing him back to the reality of standing here. Looking about him, he saw a blue and white blitzball spinning through the air over a nearby cliff, going up and then dwindling back down again. How joyfully overwhelming it was to be among the living again!  
"We're going to Yuna straight away," Paine demanded firmly. "I can't allow you to risk any more. We go to see Yuna, right now."  
"Agreed," Auron said to her with a nod. "Although I don't believe I know your name yet."  
"I'm Paine."  
"Nice to meet you."  
"Yeah. Thanks."  
They walked in silence past waterfalls and over creaking bridges. Auron found that the same machina were here, jutting out onto the cliffs and covered in more vines than there were two years ago. It was different, knowing that some unknown force had allowed him to come back, than the way he looked at everything when he knew he would be gone after Yuna's pilgrimage.  
Auron stopped walking as he approached a fence made of a few weak wooden posts and rope. He stood at an old, weathered statue and looked down over Besaid Village, four tents on either side of the cobblestone path leading to the large, Old Yevon temple at the head of the village.  
"This is it," he said. Rikku apparently still hadn't adjusted to hearing his voice again, because she flinched a little before setting her palms onto two fenceposts.  
"Yeah," she finally replied. "Yunie will be there. And Tidus, and Wakka, and Lulu... everybody."  
"Sir Auron," Paine spoke up.  
I thought she'd never speak to me any day soon!  
"Yes?"  
"I want to apologize to you. I've done some thinking and I decided that you most likely deserve to be here again. You saw Yuna all the way though, ever since her pilgrimage to defeat Sin. I have to admire you for being her guardian and her father's. You are like nobility to all of Spira, and I'm sure everyone will show you the best accommodations."  
"Thank you, but I don't think we need apologies or formalities right now." Auron lifted his head up and followed Rikku down the steep hill, sighing silently and hoping nothing will have changed too much. He wanted nothing to interfere with this peace he felt already, having seen Rikku again. Things could only get better. 


	8. The Welcome Party

Chapter 7  
  
Auron hadn't seen Besaid since before his days with Lord Braska and Jecht. Spira was still extremely resistant to change, somehow. When he set foot into Besaid Village itself, the soft rhythms of a guitar carried him almost into a state of slumber. He noticed a thin, tan-skinned man strumming it gently on a straw mat before one of the tents, feeling as if he had always been there, and that Auron had always been listening to the tranquil music. With the exception of familiar and unfamiliar heads poking out of those tents and whispering like crazy, this was perfection within itself.  
He stood frozen at the sight of Tidus standing in the grass next to the old Yevon temple, bouncing a blitzball on his knee and getting an odd- looking young woman to catch it. It had taken him awhile to get past the long wrapped braid trailing down to her boots and the spiked, fringed ends of the chestnut hair, as well as the new style of clothing. No matter how different she looked now, she was still unmistakable for the little Lady Summoner Yuna he guided on a second pilgrimage to Zanarkand. The old, silent guardian had seen Yuna happy before, as a little child, but this was a whole new level to happiness. He didn't want to admit to himself that he found the sight of Tidus showing Yuna to blitz was cute, and that they looked more than ready to finally marry. Looking at this new arrangement made Auron feel almost in love, too, but these thoughts were too ridiculous for him to bear in mind. He drove them off with haste.  
"Like... this?" Yuna caught the spinning ball in its bounce off Tidus's knee, tossed it up into the infinite blue, and shot it onto the roof of what used to be the Crusaders' lodge. "...Oops..."  
Tidus smiled, rubbed Yuna's head lovingly, and let out a piercing whistle with his fingers in his mouth. "That was... good!" Seeing Auron standing not far off, only a few paces away, his blue eyes enlarged and he dropped his arms to his sides, his mouth hanging open stupidly.  
You'd think that after the whole guardian experience, he'd know not to do that.  
"Yunie!! Over here!!!!" Rikku yelled almost in Auron's ear.  
"Ouch, Rikku!"  
"Whoops... sorry. YUNIE!!!!!!!" The blonde Al Bhed jumped up and down, waving her arms frantically.  
Yuna completely forgot about Tidus's new ball up on the roof of the inn, and squinted into the sunlight before gasping. She held a hand to her fluttering heart and came running, harder and faster than she ever had since two years ago.  
"Sir Auron!!" she exclaimed. "Wh-How-Is it really you?"  
Auron nodded his head slightly in politeness. "Lady Yuna. At last. It's good to see--WHOA!!!!"  
Yuna leapt at him and flung her arms around his body. "Sir Auron, it is you!!!"  
Unable to resist smiling, Auron merely patted her head. "I see we've forgotten the formalities of the past, haven't we, Yuna? You've changed a lot."  
"Oh, and you... you're quite the same as we all remember! Oh, how we've missed you..." Yuna withdrew and folded her hands like a little schoolgirl. "How are you?"  
"I'm... I don't know. It's hard to say." He nervously shifted the collar of his coat. "But I'm happy to see that you're safe. Spira still hasn't changed at all, has it?"  
"Where... what have you seen? When did you...?"  
"I don't know how to explain this, I..."  
"We found him on this island just now," Rikku cut in as Tidus made his way over, panting and staring hard at Auron.  
"We-ell! Nice to see you made it, and finally joined us!" Tidus exclaimed, slapping Auron's shoulder hard. "When'd you get here, old man?"  
"Just today." Auron tried to look down at Tidus with the same look he did two years ago. He was still so young, so careless and naïve... though he had to admit, the boy carried himself pretty well as a summoner's guardian. He himself had begun a pilgrimage, but even then he was twenty-five. How old would his friend Jecht's son be now, nineteen?  
"Sir Auron?" Yuna addressed him meekly.  
"Yes?"  
"...If you're not planning anything, I want to invite you to join our Valentine's Day activities."  
Auron laughed hard, without needing to feign it. "Me? Celebrate Valentine's Day?"  
"The high summoner is also quite the little pop singer," came a familiar voice. Lulu came outside of the tent she and her family lived in, a wide purple smile spread across her face. "Sir Auron, you're back." She walked up to him and hugged him shamelessly. "We've missed you. Are you going to stay with us for a time?"  
Auron rubbed Lulu's back in circles with his fingertips and grinned foolishly underneath the high collar of his overcoat. How he remembered Lulu. She was definitely his friend. It was she and Kimahri that he had gotten along best with during those long days on Yuna's pilgrimage. She had been the alternate pillar of stability, determined and with her heart and mind in the right places at all times.  
"If you'll have me," Auron replied almost timidly. "I don't want to impose."  
"I do not know how it is that you have come back to us, but no matter what, you are always welcome here, and perhaps everywhere else in Spira. Wakka and I will be glad to have you with us, if you want to stay in our home."  
"Where is Wakka?"  
"Inside, with the baby."  
"The baby?"  
"Hold on.... Wakka!!!" Lulu called out. "Wakka, come out! There's someone here you might want to see!"  
When he came out of the tent, Wakka carried a tiny bundle of blankets in his arms and a very uncomfortable look on his face. "Lu! Won't you help me out here? He's just spit up on my-WHOA!!!!! SIR AURON!!!!!!!" Startled, he nearly dropped his son until Lulu came running to catch him. Lulu took her baby into her arms as Wakka ran up to Auron looking shocked.  
"Heh. Good to see you again, Wakka." Auron nodded again, shifting the katana on his shoulder and looking up at the sky. "It's nice today, isn't it? I hope you've been doing well."  
Wakka hung his mouth open. "Well, talk about a blessing, ya.... Isn't that something? Tidus comes back, and now we see Sir Auron, right here in Besaid Village! Um... uh... Sir Auron, wouldn't you like to come in for something to eat?"  
The conversations that followed went spinning in Auron's mind when he tried to replay them later on. It was like his body knew what to do and say, yet everything... all those memories, and hearing all these familiar voices... clouded his mind so that he could barely think. A couple times he almost got misty-eyed over it, when his heart warmed at the feeling that it was almost like he never left his friends. 


	9. Hesitance, Haunting Feelings

Chapter 8  
  
"Well," Tidus said with a hearty stretch. "I think I'm about good. Thanks again for the stew, Lulu. Yuna and I hafta get that ball off the roof of the inn...."  
"Do we have to?" Yuna whined playfully.  
"Come on," he said, grinning and seizing her wrist. "Bye, you guys!"  
Yuna followed Tidus out of their friends' house and took off running for a tent across the cobblestone street. Nope, certainly there was no other couple around that was so ready, so ripe and fateful, for marriage. Auron speculated over it as he took another sip of green tea.  
"Cute, aren't they?" Lulu leaned over and half-whispered to Auron at the small table in the center of their living room. "Yuna was so happy to see him again...."  
"I can imagine." Auron grinned warmly and looked at Lulu's friendly red eyes.  
"So, tell me, what do you think of Yuna and the sphere hunting business?"  
"I think it's only right that she should find it enjoyable while she's still young. When you end up like... like me... you start to miss the old ways and... well, not everything is fun anymore..."  
"Don't say that, Auron!" Rikku joined in, stirring more sugar into her teacup. "I mean, why don't you give these things a try while you're here?"  
"Well... that's the thing. I don't know how long I'll be here. Who knows if anything can happen-"  
"Nothing will happen," Lulu said sharply. "We'll forbid it, Sir Auron."  
"That's right, ya?" Wakka said from behind them. "Your coming back must be a sign of something. These days are only allowed to be happy times."  
"May it last," Auron murmured, before nodding to Lulu and getting up from the table. "The tea was wonderful, Lulu. Just what I needed. I hope you'll excuse me for awhile. I'd like to take a walk and have some time to... remember things."  
"I understand completely." Lulu nodded and took his empty teacup. "It's good to have you back, Sir Auron. I'll see you later, then."  
"See you later, all," Auron said before walking out. Once more, almost as if he needed to feel it to make sure it all didn't disappear, he let the cool tropical air caress him as he breathed deeply and tried to drive away these strange thoughts. For the past hour now, he had been thinking about why on earth he was here. By now, it was really starting to get to him. How was this even humanly possible? Rikku's words were right. It was insane.  
Rikku's words....  
During the luncheon, when the others spoke, Auron often slipped into a dreamlike state and reminisced about their past together. Now that he thought about it, they were mostly Rikku's words that played back in his mind and helped him to remember. No two summoner's guardians were ever bigger opposites than Rikku and he. So of course he would closely associate the memories of strange happenings with her. Yet... just how was it that Rikku barely even seemed to remember him? In that cavern just a few hours ago, she had panicked, and either refused to recognize him, or simply didn't because she had forgotten him. And the possibility of Rikku forgetting him impacted Auron in ways that he was afraid to understand.  
Inside the Old Yevon temple, priests and monks and choir members nodded to him as if he were a visitor. Auron wondered for a moment what Yuna had said after he passed on to the Farplane once her pilgrimage ended. No stupid comments about being back from the dead!  
Looking up at Lord Braska's statue, Auron sighed so deeply that he seemed to have exhaled all his energies and his composure, and breathed with a shudder that almost felt like he would break into a sob. He remembered his friend's kind and truthful eyes, his own piercing into those of Braska's as if to ask why he was here. As much as he'd wanted to come back, Auron felt that this was almost too overwhelming for him, yet it was too much gratification to pass up. No way he would return back to the Farplane until a force beyond his strength, the same that had brought him here, would take him back.  
  
Meanwhile, Rikku had left and sat in one of the beds up in the cabin of the Celsius airship, gazing out the window with her legs tucked under her. She tugged at the ends of her scarf and watched a bird fluttering by in the distance. Somehow, after Auron had left Wakka and Lulu's, she felt extremely bored, although she didn't know why.  
She had done her part, hadn't she? Rikku found Auron, convinced Paine to let her take him back to the village, and reunited him with some old friends. But just why in the world was it that she was feeling this clenching in her heart, like she left something undone?  
Maybe I just want to talk with Auron more. But why? What's there to talk about? How embarrassing.... Running this over in her mind, she sighed and lay down, turning so that her cheek was resting comfortably onto the pillow. Curling her arms around it, she reflected about Auron even more.  
Around the second week after the beginning of her cousin's Eternal Calm, Rikku had begun to have dreams that would come to bother her in time. Though she went on normally in the daytime, Rikku remained fully conscious of herself and her mind right before she got up in the mornings and right before she went to bed in the late evenings. Now, after two years, they had finally stopped, but seeing Auron here again immediately brought her back to the dreams that made her awaken feeling apprehensive and lost in the mornings.  
It was from one of those days on Yuna's pilgrimages which she had remembered most clearly. Yuna took the rest of her entourage of guardians up to visit the Farplane, while she and Auron had stayed behind. And to Rikku, it seemed most fateful that they should be there together.  
"Why are you staying behind, Rikku?" Auron would always ask.  
And she would always reply, "I think the images in the Farplane are just psychological. They don't do anything for me at all. People go there to visit their loved ones to make themselves happy. That kind of thing doesn't make me happy."  
Auron peered at her over the tall red collar, those sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose so that Rikku might see his one open, attractive hazel-brown eye. Rikku loved the little she saw of Auron's eyes. So deep and full of meaning, determination....  
"You know, there aren't many happy times ahead of us," Auron lay out his hand beside him, motioning for her to come sit there on the old stairs leading to the Farplane. "So while the others are up there reflecting and rejoicing over seeing their loved ones again, you're missing out on the one chance you have."  
Rikku did sit beside him, and let the side of her left thigh almost touch the warmth of Auron's leg, beneath the tail of his overcoat and a very comfortable-looking set of black pants with the grayish stripe going down the center. It would have been enough to make her blush, but she was more focused on why Auron was speaking to her openly like this.  
"Wh-what about you, Sir Auron? What makes you happy?" Rikku asked as she trembled. "I mean, since we won't have the chance? I'm not going to tell anybody...."  
"I know we haven't... talked like this before, Rikku, and that's why this is the perfect time to tell you.... Listen. Lean this way."  
Rikku obediently leaned over so that she may as well have been resting her chin on his shoulder.  
"That's better," Auron told her gently, with a kind smile that Rikku could see fully. "Nice and closely now, because I may never get the chance to tell you this again." Now she could also feel his breath, and almost taste it. The smell of him was so alive, and so real, a vibrant spicy sweetness. His voice dropped lower and a bit deeper, his words directed more into her face than into her ear. "I want to tell you, Rikku, that I..........." Auron became so close to her that their breath mingled and their eyes locked onto each other's... and that's when everything became a little blurry. She wished she had been able to see all of his face so near hers, but almost being able to feel their lips touch, like the unperceivable feeling of a feather falling into her hair, was enough to heat up her soul. A couple times she woke up from this dream with tears in her eyes. The reality that this would most likely never happen was too biting, too harsh. But in the daytime, when she fully regained her conscious mind back, she asked herself if she would really want it. I... I guess I've really missed him all this time. I mean, I know it's not normal to have thoughts like that when I don't even know what they really mean, and when I know they'll never happen... right? 


	10. A Most Painful Humor

Chapter 9  
  
It was embarrassing and frightening for the both of them, meeting up with the rest of the group on the beach in Besaid, waiting to board the Airship Celsius. Auron and Rikku each had been so wrapped up in these confusing thoughts of the other person, that they both made double-takes and tried to excuse themselves when Auron cleared his throat, and Rikku giggled a bit and blushed.  
"Um... I needed to go run out to the Moonflow... you know, to get everything ready for the concert? I'm sorry it's on such short notice, but you see I was busy..." Yuna said hesitantly to Tidus as the wind whipped through her hair.  
"Whatever you want to do," Tidus said, resting his hand at her waist, "I'll be with you. Shall we, then? I really can't wait."  
"I've already booked Bayra, Donga, and Pukutak to play tonight, so whatever you two decide to do, make sure you'll be there to receive them on time this evening," Paine told the couple, advancing on to the Celsius. "Just find me later."  
"Will do!" Tidus yelled after her with a wave, then turned to Auron and Rikku. "Are you two coming? We still have time before dinner and the concert."  
"An invitation given to me by the High Summoner is not one to turn down," Auron said gleefully, with a smile. "And from what I understand, this one"--he pointed to Rikku--"follows you everywhere."  
"Hey!" whined Rikku, glancing up at Auron and hitting his shoulder playfully.  
"Well, you two slowpokes hurry up!!" Yuna called happily, waving from the staircase leading up to the Celsius's bridge. "We're wasting valuable fun time!"  
"I guess that means us," Auron smiled down at Rikku and began sloshing his way through the cold ocean. "Cold," he grimaced a second later.  
Rikku giggled, trying to shake off the embarrassment that had come with staring at him earlier. "You're slow," she said, jogging backwards into the sea. "Can't you run?"  
"You can, if you like, but I prefer not to." Auron kept his eyes lifted to the sky. The sunlight bounced off his sunglasses, streaking them and shining its way back down onto Rikku. "Now that no one seems to be in danger, I prefer to keep running to a minimum, thank you."  
Rikku's eyes brightened. "What about if I challenge you to a race?"  
"I would win anyway."  
"Why?"  
"Because you would probably fall on your face into the cold saltwater."  
"HEY!!!!!!!!!" Rikku stopped, putting her hands on her hips. "Whatta ya mean?"  
Auron burst into cracking laughter and begin to run with all his might toward the Celsius. "I'm winning, Rikku!!"  
"Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!" Rikku chased after him, biting back laughter. "I'll get you for that, you big meanie!"  
"You'll have to catch up first!"  
But when she finally did, they were on the Celsius and Auron was taking a look around while re-acquainting himself with Brother and Buddy again.  
"Very impressive, considering that Cid didn't help you. The design is definitely more appealing," Auron said, the latter commenting on the red and blue wings.  
"It would be very impressive," Brother said in his strange accent, spinning around in his captain's chair, "if Rikku did her part once in awhile and helped clean up the place!"  
Rikku puffed up a bit. "Crid ib[Shut up]! It isn't just you who does everything around here! And you know it! You big, rude and inconsiderate-"  
"I still think it looks nice. And it's quite an accomplishment for someone Rikku's age, co-building a great machina like this." Auron nodded at Rikku in polite acknowledgement, and the Rikku beamed at him cutely.  
"You-you really think so, Auron?"  
"Would I tell you so if I didn't mean it?"  
Suddenly, there was a hard jerk and the two of them almost fell over as the airship began to move so fast through the air that it seemed to defy all aerodynamic laws.  
"Whoa!!!" shouted Rikku as Auron, clasping the back of Brother's chair, grabbed a hold of her arm. His sunglasses fell and he knelt at the same level that Rikku crouched, meeting her two bright and pretty eyes with his one.  
"You two should have been paying attention!" Brother scolded them.  
"Uh... thanks." Rikku rubbed her knees from the scrape against the airship's floor when she fell, and Auron cleared his throat again.  
"No problem....Well, aren't you going to show me around?" Auron brought himself upright again and adjusted the weight of the katana on his shoulder.  
"Oh, right."  
She led him into the cabin where he immediately sat down at the bar and rested his katana against it. He waved at a very thin creature with large yellow eyes and blue skin. "Mish Ree-koo, is this a guesht?" the blue creature said in a goofy voice, with a goofy, dizzy facial expression. "Hey, Barkeep!! This is Auron. We found him on Besaid Island and he might stay with us for awhile. Auron, this is Barkeep." Rikku smiled warmly and gestured to the short blue Hypello.  
"Pleased to meet you," Auron greeted him with a whimsical smile, remembering his encounters with the kind, gracious Hypello and the shoopuf rides on his past journeys.  
"Ish there shomething I can do for yoo?" Barkeep outstretched his hand span and pointed to various bottled potions and shelves of bright, shiny jewelry of all kinds. "Mish Ree-koo, maybe Shir Auron would likesh to resht, yesh?"  
"Thanks, Barkeep," Rikku said. "Maybe in a couple minutes." When Barkeep occupied himself with wiping glasses, she turned to the old guardian. "So... what do you think, so far?"  
"Very well kept together." Auron nodded in approval before taking a sip of a free brandy Barkeep slid him over the counter, expensive and of the best from Bevelle. "I'm proud of you, Rikku."  
"Proud? Of me?"  
"Yes. What of it?"  
"Well, I... you've just... never told me that before."  
"I didn't get the chance to, on Yuna's pilgrimage. So I'm saying it now. In the midst of everything I had forgotten to thank you for keeping us alive in the Sanubia Desert. You have done much to keep all of us going. And you were the merriest of the group." Auron reminded her of when she first joined Yuna's entourage as a brand-new guardian. Wakka had welcomed her, "The more the merrier" and she had said, "Well then, I'll just have to be the merriest!" Rikku spun around on her bar stool and began to dab at the forming tears with her long scarf. "Oh, I... it was nothing. Really. I was trying hard to do all I could, and I'm glad I could help." "Where's our destination?" "Guadosalam. We're inviting Leblanc and Meyvn Nooj, then we go to Bevelle and meet Praetor Baralai." "Hmph." "You'll meet them, and we'll explain everything while we're there. You'll see." The two of them paused for awhile and after about two minutes they heard cheerful yelling coming from the airship's deck. "WA-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Tidus's voice rang all throughout the Celsius, followed by Yuna's piercing whistles. A screen hanging up in the corner over the bar showed the two riding on the top of the airship. Yuna leapt up onto Tidus's back and the young man lifted her higher, to spread her arms out like wings. "Higher, Brother, higher!" Yuna shouted. Auron had to grip his wine-glass steady and lock his heavy black, red, and silver boots into the wooden floor of the cabin, and Rikku had almost toppled over, as Brother did as requested and brought the Celsius even higher. The rush felt so great that Rikku began to slip into a daydream of her and Auron being up there, except she would be up on his shoulders and Auron would be reprimanding her, but she wouldn't listen. It would feel too great for anyone to heed warnings, and after a few minutes he might come to see that. "How long have they been together?" Auron asked suddenly, throwing a dart into Rikku's daydreaming. "Mmm... three months? Maybe four. Why?" "They look happy together." "You're right. Yunie smiles every day without faking it." Auron looked down pensively and set his large hand on his knee. "How... how has Yuna been these past two years?" "Well... she's changed," Rikku told him, leaning her elbows back against the counter. "She's become a lot stronger and more aggressive... well, just a little, but not really... and... let's see, she destroyed a large machina weapon underneath Bevelle, she stopped a war between the Ronso and the Guado, she united the people of Spira and dissolved the conflicts between the Youth League and New Yevon-" "Hold it, hold it!" Auron put up a hand. "She did all this?" "Yeah! Yunie can do anything, including the impossible... and more!" "I believe you, if those stories are true. How does she live now?" "Well, me and her and Paine are sphere hunters! We fly all over Spira up in the Celsius and salvage ancient treasure spheres!" Auron chuckled lightly. "Oh, boy. Kids." "Hey! You should really give it a try too, you know?" "HIGHER, BROTHER!! YE-AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" "Those two..." Auron shook his head. "Young and happy and in love..." "Wanna try it?" "Try what?" "Let's go up to the deck!" "You're kidding me, right?" "Rikku." Paine approached the two at the bar and tapped Rikku's shoulder. "We're at the Moonflow now. Are you coming with me to Guadosalam? Or are you going to sit here pestering Sir Auron all day?" "She's right, Rikku," Auron hid his smile underneath his collar. "You'd think I was your boyfriend or something this Valentine's Day." Then he threw his head back and laughed at the thought. He knew it would make her mad... although he didn't think it made a very good joke at all. Now he wished that he hadn't said it, because he grew more quiet and pensive after that. "You? Yeah right!" Rikku puffed up again and hit his upper arm jokingly. "That's not even funny, it's so gross. Get over yourself!" Walking out of the cabin, Rikku almost thought she had been too hard on him. But her second thought was that she'd said it for her own good. After all, it's not like it's really going to happen. But geez, Auron, you sure picked a fine joke to lay on me. 


	11. Auron Plays the Hero

Chapter 10  
  
"Do you think they're even here?" Rikku asked Paine as the two of them plus Auron walked down the winding forest path leading into Guadosalam.  
"You say that almost like Leblanc would allow Nooj any space on Valentine's Day," Paine said with a smirk. "I bet that by now, Nooj would be jumping for joy if Captain Lucil came here and asked him to come back to work."  
"Yeowch. Yeah, I'd hate being the Meyvn and Leblanc's boyfriend at the same time," Rikku winced. Her boots made prints in the golden, sandy dirt path and she almost stopped when she came to realize that this was the spot... the very spot. Her eyes dilated and became moist, and she looked sad.  
  
She did stop, but only long enough to take in the sight of those trees that shaded her and Auron on that fateful day she became her cousin's guardian.  
"Open your eyes," Auron had told her, holding Rikku's face in his hands. "Let me see."  
She hesitantly opened one eye, revealing its green color and its unique spiral that only meant one thing.  
Paine was already a good fifteen paces ahead of her now, and Auron held his head level and stared straight ahead. Rikku sulked disappointedly and marched on. Of course that place would have no sentiment to anyone else.  
Auron remembered, however. He did settle his gaze on that spot just as she did, and the same flashback ran through his mind. He stopped so as to look as if he was resting for a moment, lifting his gaze to the sky and setting his katana down.  
Rikku was beautiful. He couldn't deny that even when first laying eyes on her. What a bad impression she had made, appearing out of the blue like that, but sure as hell was she a beautiful young girl. That hair, that skin, and that flawless face. Just about every part of Rikku made Auron want to look at her all over again. And then there was her shy approach to him, just like a little lamb, and the moment she opened one eye it was like a powerful blast straight to his heart. His great, vast, cold, unsent heart.  
"No good?" he remembered her asking.  
"Only if Yuna wants it."  
He'd known she was an Al Bhed even before that ordeal, and when he weighed it over in his mind the disadvantages extravagantly outweighed the advantages of an Al Bhed guardian. He himself held no religious beliefs, but sheesh, if an Al Bhed followed them around as a guardian, that would sure stir up some controversy among the followers of Yevon.  
But now that all this Yevon crap was over, and the issue seemed to be more about the Youth League and New Yevon these past couple years, Auron felt free to think about Rikku all he wanted, in any way he wanted. His heart warned him that it might not be enough, but for now, it was a release.  
"WATCH OUT!!" Paine yelled as there came a snapping of twigs and branches in the surrounding forests. The clicking sound moved throughout the treetops overhead, so that the three of them turned their heads every which way.  
Out leapt a spider-like fiend on four long, skinny blades for legs. A longer one stood up in the back like a dorsal fin. It hissed at them, its thin and agile brown body all made up of sharp angles.  
"I see the fiends haven't changed," Auron observed, balancing his katana over his shoulder and bracing himself for an attack.  
"Just stand back, Sir Auron," Paine told him, running out and striking the Takouba as if with a golf club. "Leave it to me and Rikku."  
"I don't think so." Auron let down half of his jacket so that his bare arm hung at his side. Rikku stared on at those muscles and watched him attack the fiend with earth-shattering strength, her mouth gaping wide open without her knowing it. "I can take it down easily with my katana."  
"Then let mine help you!!" Rikku finally shouted. Raising her arms into the air and letting her thief ensemble disappear again, a new outfit formed on her slim body. A purple decorative helmet covered her headband and blond braids and a white tube top spread across her chest. A large blue cloth belt held together a very nice armored robe, red and with green and yellow stripes. Underneath a metal band, she gripped in her hand a silver, sharp double-bladed katana with a long gray handle striped with gold.  
Watching Rikku in combat, Auron stood in silence with a grin across his old face. Somehow it made him so proud, seeing that she'd learned some of the ways of the Samurai. In one sense, it was nothing other than beautiful, seeing her small, swift body stride up to the creature and the power of those thin, youthful little arms as she swung her Bushido sword in a sort of circling motion. Maybe-just maybe-he had made an influence on her two years ago as a fellow guardian. Maybe she'd watched him. Maybe.... These thoughts made him a little more self-conscious by the second.  
"RIKKU, NO!!!!" Paine yelled, breaking the silence with which Auron had used to watch Rikku.  
The Takouba clicked at her and dove, slashing her down the center with its bladed legs. Rikku yelled out as she felt the toxins moving into her fresh, stinging wound and fell to the ground.  
"She's always been the careless type," Auron shook his head as he moved in and approached the four-legged fiend. "I wasn't watching," he admitted. "Maybe she shouldn't fight for awhile."  
Rikku hung her head in embarrassment as she fought to get up again.  
"Sir Auron," Paine said, nodding to him and showing the sincerity in her fiery crimson eyes. "Why don't you let me handle it? You can tend to Rikku; I think she's poisoned."  
"No, really, I'm fine," Rikku called, finally getting to her feet. The poison began to sink in again and she fell back down, sitting up and supported by her palms. Would Auron really sit out this fight just to tend to her wounds and her poison?  
"I'd rather not."  
Rikku's heart sank lower and lower until she felt it stinging in her stomach... or was it the poison?  
"Sir Auron..."  
"You go on ahead. I'll take down the fiend, and besides, you two have all the medical equipment."  
Paine did as instructed and knelt at Rikku's side, rummaging through their stash of restoratives and battle equipment. "Let's find something to anoint you with... it was a pretty bad cut and the toxin's probably running deep by now."  
"I'm fine," Rikku snapped at her through gritted teeth, watching Auron slay the Takouba. "Don't touch me. I'll be just fine, really, it's a small scratch--"  
"But Rikku, you're bleeding!"  
Rikku wasn't listening. Why didn't Auron come by to tend to her? Was she really so repulsive that Auron would risk a fight straight out of the Farplane rather than keep himself out of danger by sitting near her? She bit back frustration and anger, until taking care not to bite her lip open, and complained heartily as Paine dabbed at the long scrape with a piece of cloth.  
"So what's going on?"  
The two of them looked up to see Auron standing there, gazing down upon both of them. "Is it okay to move on now?" It was a question that became a reflex, as well as how vigorously he pressed on after all those days as a guardian.  
"You took care of the fiend!" Rikku exclaimed enthusiastically.  
"I'm out of Antidotes," Paine winced. "Maybe she can hold out until Guadosalam, but you see how bad it is..." She pointed to the long cut that marred the Al Bhed's Samurai outfit with fresh blood.  
Just then, Auron was thankful that they couldn't read the emotions in his eyes behind the sunglasses, for they had dilated in concern and remorse.  
If only I'd been watching her fight rather than staring at how good she looks.... I could have pushed her out of the way, dammit! Auron's eyes scanned the two of them over, then he cleared his throat. "Okay. Paine, you run along and make preparations at Guadosalam, so that Rikku can be treated when she gets there. I'll take her."  
I've got to do something to take responsibility.  
"Alright," Paine nodded before taking off running down the dirt path.  
  
Auron smiled down at Rikku, embarrassed, and scooped the girl up into his arms.  
"Heh heh... hey, uh... this is kind of embarrassing," Rikku told him, looking at how high up she was being carried and trying to avoid Auron's face. "......Thanks," she said uneasily.  
He ignored her words of appreciation and carried her on. "Now I'm going to get blood all over my jacket."  
Rikku kicked her legs but didn't come remotely close to hurting him at all. "Hey!! That wasn't nice! Aren't you going to say something like, 'You're welcome'? Or, or, or 'You'll be okay' or something?"  
"No. Simply because this favor really is nothing at all."  
"Well, you didn't have to answer like that, you know!!"  
Auron chuckled under his breath. Those words, too, echoed across time.  
You didn't have to say it like that, you know! Couldn't you... you know... maybe try to cheer me up? You didn't have to say it like that....  
It warmed his heart to hear her say those words again. When she said them, it was as if they belonged to him and only him. Especially when she'd said it in the presence of the other guardians. It made him feel like she had the authority to tell him things like that. Like a princess to her knight, or like they were an old argumentative married couple....  
"A-HEM," he cleared his throat, trying to drive out those thoughts. Especially with Rikku in his arms right now, he didn't need to show such complex emotion on his face. Those were the kind of happy thoughts that hurt him, somehow, and the state of his... um... friend... being wounded was not exactly a happy moment that called for reminiscence. "...I'm... sleepy," Rikku yawned, wanting to pass into a slumber in the warmth of Auron's strong arms. Maybe it was the poison, or maybe it was the dreamlike state with which she had pretended Auron was carrying her to.... She stopped her thought right there before she accidentally daydreamed of Auron carrying her someplace she would not admit to anybody, not even Yuna. "Oh, dammit. It's the poison, isn't it? I knew it.... We'll be in Guadosalam soon. I'm not going to run there because I don't want to worsen your condition.... Rikku?" The little blond teenager had her full, creamy eyelids closed over those intriguing emerald-jade eyes and breathed tranquilly with her head resting against the large muscle of his left arm. Auron groaned, but kept his eyes on her and only looking up occasionally lest he should walk into something he couldn't see in front of him. Then after awhile, he felt almost soiled inside. Something, he didn't know what or why, felt wrong about carrying this beautiful, delicate young thing in his unsent arms. How long is your being beautiful going to kill me from guilty pleasure, Rikku? Just how long? 


	12. Meet Leblanc and Nooj

Chapter 11  
  
Why are you staying behind, Rikku? I think the images in the Farplane are just psychological. They don't do anything for me at all. People go there to visit their loved ones to make themselves happy. That kind of thing doesn't make me happy. You know, there aren't many happy times ahead of us. So while the others are up there reflecting and rejoicing over seeing their loved ones again, you're missing out on the one chance you have. Wh-what about you, Sir Auron? What makes you happy? I mean, since we won't have the chance? I'm not going to tell anybody... I know we haven't... talked like this before, Rikku, and that's why this is the perfect time to tell you....Listen. Lean this way... That's better. Nice and closely now, because I may never get the chance to tell you this again. I want to tell you, Rikku, that I.... This time Auron's hand was curled around hers, warm and rough and huge, everything that her little hand wasn't. A few beautiful pyreflies circled them so closely it was as if they were going to whisper to them. Rikku's eyes met his once again and their voices finished the sentence in synch. "...that I love you!!" Rikku blurted out before her eyes fluttered open in the fluorescent light of a room she didn't recognize right away. "Huh?" "Good to see you're awake," Auron greeted her. He was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the room with his arms folded, and his large red overcoat was covering her. Rikku blushed and wondered just how long he'd been sitting there. "How long have you been here?" Rikku asked him, sitting up and wrapping his coat around her shoulders. "I don't know. Forty seconds?" Auron gazed up into the ceiling nonchalantly, not seeming to care at all about anything. "But you've been lying there for about twenty minutes now." "You could have woken me up, you know!!" She stood and threw Auron's jacket at him before smoothening out her original thief outfit. "Sheesh!" "What was that... outfit change you did back there?" Auron asked her before she made her way out of the room in the Guadosalam Inn. "Oh... that's a dressphere. The Samurai dressphere, really. Um... we use them for battle, and uh... yeah. I guess that's all there is to say about it. Like whenever we find a treasure sphere that doesn't seem to have anything good on it, we can harness its power and turn it into a costume for battle." "...I see. Now, to whom was it you were saying that when you woke up?" "Huh?" Rikku failed to put on a genuine tone. "Wh-what are you talking about?" "You know what you said. Now who were you talking to?" "N-NOBODY." "I can guess." Rikku felt a pinching in her throat and a shaking in her voice as she spoke. "You'll-you'll never guess. Nope, you'll never, ever guess!" "Well... it could be Buddy..." "Nope." "And if it's not Buddy, then... Oh, I know! Barkeep!" "WHAT?!?!?!" Auron threw his head back and laughed mirthfully as Rikku puffed up and yelled her reproaches. "How could you say that? What are you, crazy? Geez! Me with Barkeep. You've got to be kidding me!!" she exploded as she followed him out the door while he put on his overcoat. "Well, I see everything's back to normal," Paine said, standing outside the Inn with her arms crossed and one leg up against the wall. "To Chateau Leblanc, shall we?" The three of them walked down the mildewed paths of the small village that had been formed inside an immense, ancient tree. These branches they walked on overlapped each other as overpasses, and various shops were built on their sides. The walls were a unique green with bluish and lighter green veins spreading all over. They stopped in front of a pair of red, elegant double-doors which Auron remembered had led into the palace of the former Maesters Jyscal and Seymour Guado. "Breaking and entering," Paine may as well have yawned as she leaned against those doors and pushed them open with seemingly no effort. "She should be used to the concept of it by now, shouldn't she?" Paine smiled and glanced at Rikku, reflecting this gleeful look. "Oh, yeah," Rikku said with a tone of delight. "Let's do it!" "It looks to me like you've kind of lost your manners from your guardian days," Auron shook his head at her while he glanced around at the old photographs of the Guado family hanging on the walls next to the staircases on the left and the right of the front chamber in the mansion. He remembered all too well the lush green color everywhere, the red doors... the only thing that seemed to be missing was the group of Guado guardians standing in every corner. Instead, there were ladies with their hair tied back and standing in pink body suits with large red heart designs on their chests. "And where are we?" "This is Chateau Leblanc," Paine explained. "The Guado are thinning out, and after Maester Seymour's departure to the Farplane, she came along and took the palace for herself. And no one did anything about it, just because the Guado are disappearing. It's kind of depressing." "'She' ?" "You'll know her when you see her," moaned Rikku, laying her palm across her eyes and forehead. "She's a real pain." "Excuse you?" Paine turned to her. "No, no, I didn't mean that." At that instant, out walked two figures unfamiliar to Auron. He heard Rikku and Paine take deep breaths as the two approached them. One was a woman, not so tall, with short blond hair in spiked ends like Yuna's, in a suit that Auron found less than impressive. It was designed with jagged points, pink and purple all over, cut so low that the ends joined at her violet bikini bottom. Large bell sleeves flared out over matching violet gloves. Purple leggings covered from her thighs down over pink shoes that seemed more tacky than fashionable, and in one hand she held an obscene looking, large red fan with holes cut through the top. A big red heart tattoo was emblazoned on her chest, and her breasts looked like they'd spill out the sides of her suit in any minute. The tall man who was with her had dull, blanched-brown dreadlocks hanging in loops on the left side of his head, spiraling bangs on the right side, and a long crooked ponytail hanging at his back that somewhat resembled a crude wooden staff. His left arm and leg were mechanical and he propped himself up on a titanium cane. He looked as if his girlfriend had picked out his wardrobe, standing in a tight red suit with magenta zippers and buckled straps, and a mass of white fur around his right shoulder over a long, purple flared bell-sleeve. "Well, well, if it isn't two of the Dullwings and... oh!!!" exclaimed the blonde, covering her mouth with her hands in surprise. "Who... are you?" Her eyes scanned Auron up and down and she fanned herself as if she was seeing a large fiend. "You can't be Sir Auron," said the man, his eyes widening underneath a pair of round spectacles. He extended his right hand and leaned against his cane. "Are you? I-I'm Meyvn Nooj of the Youth League, and this is Leblanc." "I'm the leader of my own sphere-hunting team, the Leblanc Syndicate," Leblanc wheezed in admiration. "Surely you've heard about me??" "I can't say I have," Auron replied, feeling and sounding less than enthusiastic. What would Yuna and her friends hang out with a woman like that for? "We'd only heard that you'd disappeared after the High Summoner's pilgrimage two years ago," Nooj rambled on. "Have you been vacationing alone? I keep imagining you've seen some rare sights!" "I have been watching over friends as a different kind of guardian," Auron chose his words wisely. "But perhaps we can talk about that later. I believe Rikku and Paine have a sort of message for you." "Yunie's having a concert tonight at the Moonflow. She wants you to come," Rikku spoke up, handing Leblanc an invitation that her cousin had handwritten herself. "An invitation, for us? We'd be honored. Can we make it tonight?" Nooj said, turning to Leblanc. "Ohhhh, what an opportunity!" Leblanc giggled. "Dancing in the beautiful lights of the Moonflow-at night! Oh, please, Noojie dear? Shall we go?" "I'm all for it." "Then please follow us aboard the Airship Celsius," Paine said dryly. "First we're having dinner in Bevelle and then it's off to the Moonflow." Auron watched Paine roll her eyes as she led a chattering Leblanc and an exasperated Nooj out of Guadosalam. With a strange feeling washing over one whole side of his body, he looked out the corner of one eye and noticed Rikku walking closely behind him. A look of unease appeared on her pretty little face, and Auron restrained himself from taking her hand. "Is something wrong?" he finally asked. Rikku kept her eyes on the ground as they walked. "Well... when we get back on the Celsius... I guess there's something I kinda want to ask you." 


	13. Pressing Questions

Chapter 12  
  
"Everything's ready!!" Yuna announced cheerfully as she and Tidus clambered onto the Celsius. "The Moonflow's going to look beautiful tonight."  
"I guess it'll be fun, if you can get past those clowns for musicians," Tidus remarked, laughing. Yuna nudged him in the ribs.  
"They're our friends," she implied. "And I want to invite everybody who might be interested in joining us."  
"I know, I know," her boyfriend said, leading an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek.  
"Now that you two have that settled," Auron began, clearing his throat, "shall we move on now?"  
Yuna giggled.  
"What?" he said, turning to her.  
"You sound just the same, Sir Auron. Just like two years ago. You still can't stand wasting any time." Yuna folded her hands at her legs and smiled nicely. She patted his shoulder before taking Tidus by the hand and leading him up onto the deck again.  
Auron pushed his sunglasses up onto the bridge of his nose and hung his arm out of the front of his coat, then made his way into the cabin, where he found Rikku sitting up on that same bar stool, looking pensive with her chin in her hand. A smoky look seemed to cloud those glimmering eyes that usually looked rather sharp and piercing. Her skinny little legs swung back and forth as her fingertip swirled around the edge of her glass.  
"Did you want to speak to me earlier?" he asked her.  
Rikku became startled and nearly knocked over her glass of some popular Al Bhed drink. Finding him sitting beside her, she brushed her hanging braids out of her face and tried to meet his gaze, though unable to see his eyes through the glasses. Instead she caught the reflection of her own eyes, so frightened and yet shining with a little hope. Did she really look just as odd to him? Only when she caught a glimpse of herself did she begin to imagine that the two of them may as well have been from different planets. "I, uh... I only wanted to thank you, for saving me back there," she stammered, looking down on at the wooden floor. "You didn't have to, since we're not Yunie's guardians anymore, and--" "It was nothing. Not even worth mentioning now," Auron interrupted her. "I know, but... I thought I might do something for you anyway, because it's your first day back and all... Anyway, since it's Valentine's Day and we're all celebrating together... I thought that maybe... you'd like to hang out with me. You know, since Tidus and Yuna are going to be together all night, and we're trying to get Paine to dance with Baralai... So you won't be alone..." Rikku's voice trailed off and she became more than ready to add, "Just forget it." Auron threw his head back and laughed mirthfully. Rikku's face contorted with annoyance and she set her hands on her hips. "What? Did I say something very funny?" "No, it's just... it kind of sounds almost like you're asking me on a date." Rikku felt the heat rising in her face. "Well, I was just trying to be kind and polite, you know! It's called a 'nice gesture'. Maybe you've never heard of that." Auron sighed and faced her squarely in the eye. "Alright then, thank you very much, Rikku. I'll accept." Rikku had almost turned around, but made a double-take with a surprised face. "R-really?!" "Only if the offer still stands. I have no plans. Nothing better to do for the rest of the night. I don't even know where I'll be staying for as long as I'm in Spira." "...Okay. I, um... I'm glad." "Rikku!!" The door to the cabin slid open and Yuna came running in, looking as if in healthy spirits as usual. Her face radiated with a state of pure contentment, and she smoothened out the denim half-skirt tied around her waist. She waved at Auron politely, and tapped Rikku's shoulder. "Yunie!!" Rikku greeted her cheerfully. "What's up?" "If you're not busy doing anything, the Celsius is over Mount Gagazet right now and I thought we girls might spend a little time in the hot spring!" Rikku smiled gleefully and turned to Auron. "Sorry, but I'm going!" "Enjoy yourselves," Auron saw them off with a smile, and downed another glass of brandy as soon as the doors to the lift slid shut. He didn't want to admit it was jealousy that seized him just then, but the thought of Rikku and Yuna leaving off and having fun made him feel awkward. Constrained by something. The two of them had plenty of youth left, enough life left to live and then some to spare, while he... well, it was only evident to him that he didn't belong. So why would Rikku ask him out on, well, practically a date? Because, like she said, she's just trying to be polite. Come tomorrow morning, she and the others will be off sphere-hunting, and I'll be... where will I be?  
  
"I feel great!" Paine exhaled calmly, her voice echoing throughout the beautiful emerald-colored boulders shrouded in the misty steam coming from the hot spring. Leaning back, she drifted on her back and let her thin body glide through the hot water. "Thanks for letting us do this, Yuna, it was an awesome idea!" "Yeah, thanks, Yunie!!" Rikku said cheerfully, sinking to her knees and enjoying the feel of the hot water caress her body and soften the roughness of her yellow bikini that had been dry and itching her somewhat. Her cousin scooped up some water into her pretty hands and sprinkled it into her hair. "I wanted to treat the girls to something, too." Yuna sighed contentedly and treaded water, slowly and gracefully walking back toward her cousin. Without Rikku seeing, she winked at Paine, who came up slowly behind the blonde Al Bhed. The taller woman pounced onto her with delight and doused her into the water. Yuna splashed her cousin vigorously each time she attempted to come back up. "Hey! What gives?!" Rikku shouted, her sopping wet hair flattened against her head, throwing her beaded braids back behind her. "We just want to ask you a few questions," Yuna said innocently, folding her hands behind her back. "Interrogation time," Paine said with a sadistic smile, taking Rikku's arms and pinning her against one of the boulders that surrounded the spring. "We're gonna make you talk." "Hey...! No fair! What's this all about?" "Just relax, I'm just playing. I was only going to tease you about spending so much time with Sir Auron today." "Huh?!" "It's okay, Rikku," Yuna said, holding Paine's shoulder lest she should push the joke a little far. "You can tell us anything. But if you don't want to, that's okay." "I don't even understand," whined Rikku, trying to push against Paine's grip. "What about Auron?" "We just thought maybe you'd missed him while he's been gone. I mean... you sure looked like you've been enjoying yourself in his company, that's all," Yuna said. Her one green eye and one blue eye twinkled with an air of mischievous frivolity. "Yeah, and so much that you'd forgotten about having your 'quality time' with me," Paine said, smiling. Her crimson eyes were just as friendly, but she seemed to be getting a bigger kick out of the joke. "Uh... heh heh..." Caught. Now that she didn't know what to say, she let her eyes hang between her stomach and Paine's. The water was so beautiful and clear, swirling around them like that... "Uh-huh," Paine said satisfactorily, letting go of Rikku. "It's obvious now." "Rikku? We want you to know... we're all for the idea if you have a crush on Sir Auron and you want him to join you for the Valentine's Day festivities." "You-you are?!" Rikku burst, switching her gaze between Paine's face and Yuna's. "We think it's a wonderful idea!" "Just don't go overboard to the point where we have to see him back to the Farplane," Paine said with a humorous grin. Rikku exhaled and felt like she lost weight in doing so. The blonde had shed a good percentage of her apprehensive feelings she'd been carrying all day. Now she was free to do whatever she liked, and she could enjoy a nice evening with Auron like the two of them had never seen before... but why did she still feel like there was something restricting that she shouldn't forget? "Thanks, you guys," Rikku said with unease. "I feel better now. I should have told you earlier, but I really don't know how to explain it, even now." "What do you mean?" Yuna listened attentively. "It's like... I dunno. Maybe I have missed him, just like you said. I always thought these were normal dreams, since we'd seen a lot during your pilgrimage. Kind of like those dreams the Crusaders keep having after Operation Mi'ihen. Anyway... I just kept seeing him, and I thought maybe that he's come back, I could find the answers to these puzzling dreams. That's really all there is." Yuna and Paine exchanged troublesome smiles. "Hey... why are you two grinning like that?" "You'll see," Paine told her, patting her head as if Rikku was still a little child. "What does that mean?" Paine stepped out onto one of the green boulders, grabbed a towel, and began patting herself with it. "Not telling!" "GRRRRR!!!" Yuna discreetly put a hand on Rikku's shoulder, leaned over, and half- whispered into her ear: "What Paine's thinking is, this is your chapter of the story now. I searched and searched for answers and Tidus is back... you've been having dreams and Auron is back..." "Uh, Yunie? I'm not sure that really means anything..." "You don't see it now, but you will. I promise you." "Gee, I don't know what to say, except... thanks, Yunie." 


	14. Restraint

Chapter 13  
  
Am I traumatized by something? Or did I really see what I just saw? Or are these illusions? Am I really only on the Farplane?  
Auron sat in the cockpit of the Celsius next to Brother, in the comfortable leather seat that usually served as Rikku's post during flights. He had his hands stiffly held in his lap and his coat collar pulled up as high as it would reach, which right now was up to his bottom eyelids. Every now and then he'd adjust the collar, adjust his glasses, and let some air into his coat collar when it became harder to breathe.  
When was the last time he blushed? And especially like this? He pondered it for a good twenty or so minutes, after moving up to the cockpit in haste. It was a feeling that came from both the sight that could have killed him all over again, and the fact that he hadn't felt this way about anyone before. In his youth, he had no luck at all with women-in fact, he never tried. At twenty-five he joined up with Lord Braska on the pilgrimage and died in Zanarkand, then after ten years of struggling to "survive" in Zanarkand he looked after Tidus and then joined up with Yuna. He'd never had time, ever. Even before the first pilgrimage with Braska, he was a monk and he was so caught up in studies. At the time he felt like he may as well have forgotten about marriage, about women... because no such opportunities ever came along. With a history like this, there wasn't much he could do at all except what he actually did, which was burning with a shame he didn't understand, in the same seat and same position for twenty minutes.  
Running the scene through his mind made it worse.  
He had been walking out of the elevator holding another brandy glass and feeling so refreshed, so good about himself, reacquainting himself with the smaller, fainter pleasures of life, with his head held high again and bearing a powerful stride. Brother and Buddy nodded to him almost in approval of his healthy spirit, and the tall former guardian stood before the blue globe-sphere and enjoyed the exhilarating view from the front.  
Feeling the rush of the Celsius in full movement, in a sort of blast, it almost felt like he was still a hologram on the Farplane, and that the slightest sensations could flood straight through his body again. Except on the Farplane, his own mass of pyreflies had been gentle like flower petals, and after awhile, kind of annoying. A few times he shut his eyes to imagine flying, speeding away into the kind of oblivion that welcomed him in dreams when he was younger, to understand that this was another chapter of his life he'd missed out on earlier, and that there were unknown frontiers awaiting him even now. Arriving at their destination, the nose of the Celsius began to tip downward slowly, and maybe, just maybe, he might consider going out onto the deck after all. With Rikku, too. He'd apologize, laugh with her, scoop her up into his arms again and carry her out on deck--  
It was easier imagined than even said, much less executed. Auron let his body jerk forward a bit as Brother recklessly made a clumsy attempt at a landing. With much creaking and deep humming that came with large machinery, Brother raised the entrance to the Celsius and the three women, the famous "YRP" which they called themselves, padded up the ramp in bare feet and dripping all over the place.  
"Don't worry, Brother, I'll clean it up!" Yuna hollered, her long legs carrying her swiftly, her hair hanging straight and touching the back of her neck, wrapped in a pink towel.  
"Be careful not slip and fall, Sir Auron," Paine nodded to the oldest in the group before chasing Yuna's heels and nearly knocking Tidus over when she reached the overlook of the bridge, for he'd tried to stop them so that he could catch a glimpse of Yuna.  
"Brother! Fa yna kuehk du Bevelle huf[We're going to Bevelle now]--" Rikku emitted before she gasped at the sight of Auron standing behind her brother's chair. She was dripping wet, wearing only a towel underneath her swimsuit, with her soaking hair thrown back sloppily and supported by a blue headband that would peel down over her eyes in any minute. Her mouth hung wide open in shock.  
Auron wanted to say or do something to make her feel more comfortable about being in front of him like that. He attempted a light shrug, but he came out looking rather perplexed. Rikku blushed crimson and darted off, nearly slipping in a puddle of water.  
It wasn't like he really wanted to... or maybe he did... but he remembered all of it so clearly now. She looked like a water nymph of some sort, with her beautiful, long, tan legs bared to his sight, and traces of a low-cut yellow bikini bottom flashing beneath the towel when she moved. Only then did she look like the purest maiden, shimmering with more innocence than Yuna had when she was Rikku's age. Her lips were damp and full, and beads of water hung onto her long eyelashes. The more he saw her as innocent and sexy without meaning to be, the more dirty he felt about himself. Seeing how much Yuna's youngest guardian had changed over these past two years was a pleasing torture. And his accidentally showing that he was mind-blown set her off running like an elusive little fawn.  
How would he face her now? It was the next worsest thing to catching near naked--which was a sight that would kill him all over again, and if that happened, he wouldn't dare come back to see anyone. Being dead and on the Farplane wouldn't be enough to erase the scarring of his mind as long as Rikku still knew who he was. Now that he thought of that, if he did happen to see that... he could "die" a happy man....  
A man with darker and curlier hair and in goggles swerved around and flashed Auron a bright white smile. He was more tanned than even Rikku. "Hey, Sir Auron," Buddy called him without the Al Bhed accent Auron expected, waving his hand and beckoning for him to come forward. "Good to have you aboard. There's something you might want to see in just a minute." Auron drew up his composure again and walked, though his knees buckled and his legs shook nervously from the Rikku experience, to the smaller leather chair to the left of Brother's. "What's up?" Buddy held up his gloved index finger. "Ou[Yo], Shinra! Tet oui vehecr dra haf tnaccbrana[Did you finish the new dressphere]?" "I think she has it now," came a very young voice that seemed to be coming through an intercom. The chair in front of the control center against the right wall spun to reveal a small individual in a full-body suit and a helmet that looked like a gas mask. "Wanna see?" the individual turned to Auron. "I... don't understand," Auron told the boy, unsure of where to look because he couldn't see his eyes or his face... or any bit of skin on him, for that matter. Shinra was the first Al Bhed child Auron had ever seen, in all his years in Spira. Did they all dress that way, especially in the heat of the Sanubia Desert where they used to live? Looking at Shinra just now, Auron only hoped there was some sort of cooling system inside his suit. Maybe Shinra had a disease of some sort. He didn't want to ask. "You'll see," the boy told him in an intriguing tone. "Go to the cabin. She'll be waiting there." Auron almost forgot to ask, "'She' who?", then remembered to walk casually as if they were talking about Yuna and not Rikku. "Wait!!" Shinra called suddenly. "Um... there is one more thing I can do... before you go in there." 


	15. Fantasy and Reality

Chapter 14  
  
[Stranger in Paradise by Sarah Brightman]  
  
Take my hand, I'm a stranger in paradise  
All lost in a wonderland  
A stranger in paradise  
If I stand starry eyed there's a danger in paradise  
For mortals who stand beside  
An angel like you  
  
"But Yunie," whined Rikku, adding to a chain of similar protests in the upstairs bedroom of the cabin. "This is insane. I don't know why you even talked me into this!!"  
"You'll see what I mean," Yuna said with a mysterious smile, kneeling at Rikku's legs. "You'll probably even thank me for it later."  
"Yuna's always right," Paine told her. "You should know that by now. So hold still already!"  
"Y'know, Rikku... it's really not so bad!" Tidus commented, lying down on one of the adjacent beds with his hands folded behind his head. "I like it! Yuna's done a great job!"  
"Yeah, but... grrrrrr, now I have to find a way to pay Yunie back for this! And Brother's not too keen on giving me my own money, you know!... OW!!!"  
"I said hold still! We don't wanna ruin this now," Yuna tapped Rikku's leg. "Ohhhhh Rikku, this is wonderful!!"  
"I feel funny."  
"You've never done this kind of thing before, that's why."  
"He comes!" Paine sprung up from her seated position next to Tidus's feet. "Are we ready now?"  
"...Yes! It's done!!" Yuna stood up and clapped for her work, excitedly.  
"Now get out there and make us proud," Paine said, slapping Rikku's bottom and racing her and the others down the spiraling staircase.  
Rikku's fingertips began to fidget around nervously, freshly coated with envy-green nail polish underneath a pair of matching gloves. Each heartbeat pounded more violently as the door to the elevator began to open. Her forehead and arms began to feel clammy, and the beginning beads of sweat formed at her neck. No way this could be happening.  
All her thoughts began spinning in her head as she tried to retell the events of the day to herself. She couldn't understand how or why it was that she even found Auron earlier this afternoon, and now she wound up here, more nervous than she'd been ever since Yuna's arrival in Zanarkand two years ago. What a bizarre twist of fate! Yet if the rapid flow of events was natural and destined to happen... why was she cramping with the feeling that she was about to do something very wrong?  
The moment Auron and Rikku met in the center of the cabin, the girl let out a heavy gasp and dropped her jaw. Auron was taken aback by this new sight that made all else in the world dissolve into nothing.  
The older ex-guardian couldn't believe what he was seeing. His eyes became fogged with an illusion, or so he thought until Rikku winced with anxiousness as he took in this heavenly spectacle.  
Rikku was wearing a lively, silk emerald-jade gown that matched her eyes. It was short and rounded off in the front so as to expose the shapeliness of her knees down, and the back hung in a long flap that trailed a few inches behind her. Her flat stomach was exposed by an opening that began at her waist and ended in a tied string below the top, fashioned like the yellow bikini top she wore in her thief ensemble. With the headband gone, she wore her gorgeous sunbleached blonde mane straight down so that it fell to her thighs, and a braid touched her collarbone on each side of her head. Her golden-tinged skin was almost glowing with youth, and her lips were glossed with the perfect shade of pink. Those suffocating, intoxicant green, spiraling eyes, so deep and full of wonder, shone ever brighter and lightened up all the darkest places within Auron's lonely soul. He was drowning in her beauty.  
Auron's tongue, his breath, and his words all got stuck in his throat, but to Rikku he was nothing short of painstakingly hot. Seeing him now brought forth floods of flash-visions from two years ago, having first seen this image in an old sphere recording. He was twenty-five again, with jet-black hair slicked back and in a full ponytail that hung out of his coat instead of hidden inside. His eyes were a glossy chocolate brown that seemed like earthen stars. Looking at him like this was like removing a shadowy cloak. Soft tenderness spread over his younger face. Everything he wore was like new. The rough threads of his red overcoat, emanating warmth as if it had been steam-pressed, and the beady adornments clashed sensationally with the velvetiness of his creamy eggshell skin. The spicy- sweet scent was enough to make the poor girl's legs give out, evoking the analogy of him with a cologne-sprayed love letter, an aroma that even lingered slightly on her tongue as if he had been sprinkled with a gingery wine. Her hands ached to touch him underneath the silk that ran up to her elbows.  
Yuna broke what seemed to be the endless silence and cleared her throat.  
"Now that we've gotten that out into the air... Rikku? Do you think we can fit in a little rehearsal time before dinner?"  
The picturesque sights that the two of them beheld were enough to clarify seemingly everything between them. Rikku's eyes searched Auron's as if to say, "May I? Just for a little bit?", and Auron nodded to her in such a slight way that none of the others could see.  
Paine searched through a collection of music spheres in a box behind the staircase as Yuna and Rikku boarded a small black platform against the wall. As a beat began to play, Paine stepped back next to Auron while Yuna and Rikku stepped in synch. Tidus threw his head about and jammed out as if it was his favorite song, entranced by Yuna.  
"Sometimes Rikku is a backup dancer at Yuna's concerts," Paine explained to Auron. "She's a little clumsy, as you can imagine, but she enjoys it a lot."  
"She seems to have rhythm, though," Auron observed under his breath as a half-whisper to Paine. He watched most attentively as Rikku thrust out a hip and stepped out with reigning confidence over all. The strings of her high-heeled green sandals laced up around her calves, and she took care not to step on the ends of her gown. Her golden hair swished lightly as she swam through the pulsating music.  
"I think that's because you're here to watch her."  
"What?!"  
"...Never mind."  
When Yuna and Rikku finally stepped off the platform, bowed, and graciously accepted the applause of the other three, static buzzed across the intercom system all throughout the airship before Brother's shrill voice resonated, "Rikku!!!!!!!!!!! Report to the bridge immediately!!"  
Rikku, feeling that nothing in the world could bring her down now, made her way out of the cabin, until Auron discreetly caught her arm while the others talked amongst themselves.  
"Rikku!"  
"Huh?" she said as she spun. The warmth of this new Auron's grip tingled as if to brand her arm and line it with a gold aura. The first traces of a smile formed as she noted to herself that she could definitely get used to Auron looking this hot.  
"Oui muug fano yddnyldefa eh dryd tnacc[You look very attractive in that dress]," he said with hesitant pronunciation.  
"Wow... thank you!" Rikku exhaled. "And you look very..."  
She stepped into the elevator and the door began to close around her as she said the last word underneath her breath, holding a gloved hand to her beating heart. "...sexy."  
When she approached Brother out on the bridge, it felt like she was still dancing, and that it was all a hazy dream. This dress was gorgeous, Auron looked sexy, and he also had a mesmerized gaze all over her as she danced with Yuna. Nothing in the world felt better, or would ever feel better, until later on that evening, when they would talk more... and hopefully dance... or more....  
But Brother, standing in his overalls with his hands on his hips and leering at her with his birdlike looks, wasn't in such a deliriously happy mood. "Rikku, ku du res[go to him]." He thrust his finger to his right and pointed at a figure Rikku didn't care to recognize at first.  
Standing there, awaiting her, was a man not much taller than her, with spiked blond hair and navy eyes, a black patch over his right one. He waved to her, trying to look so cool, in his classic magenta and violet punk-style suit held by gold suspenders, various buckled straps hanging at his legs, and the ends of violet gloves overlapped the ends of his lavender long-sleeved shirt.  
Rikku's heart shattered like one of Auron's delicate brandy glasses.  
"Hey! I thought I was supposed to come pick you up!" he greeted her cheerfully. "But, no matter. We're actually on time for once!"  
"H-hi, Gippal," she said. "What brings you here?"  
Brother gripped her by the arm, erasing Auron's charm of gentleness, and hissed reproaches at her. "Oui yna REC tyta, nasaspan? Fryd dra ramm rac kuddah ehdu oui dutyo?[You are his date, remember? What the hell has gotten into you today?]"  
"Oh... heh heh, right. Silly me," Rikku said as Brother threw her out to Gippal. "Um... uh...."  
"Rikku?"  
Her heart fluttered as she saw Auron come out after her. If only he really was her knight, if only he really could take her away from all this... even the Farplane sounded better than being on the spot in front of him and Gippal. Brother's presence wouldn't make things any better, either.  
"This not good time right now, Sir Auron," Brother said roughly, his Al Bhed accent richer now that he seemed to be angered.  
"WHOA!! Sir Auron?!" Gippal exclaimed, running up and grabbing the former guardian's hand. "You look great for your age!"  
Auron chuckled and shook his hand politely. "And you are...?"  
"I'm Gippal, leader of the Al Bhed Machine Faction. Thanks for keeping Rikku company for me, man! You really are a great guy."  
"Thanks..." Auron said, raising an eyebrow.  
He looks like one dizzy fool.  
"Well, now that we're in Bevelle, shall we go to dinner then?" Gippal extended an arm out to Rikku, who had no choice but to take it.  
"Auron, I..." Rikku's voice dropped into a more depressed tone that she'd used when Yuna almost lost her life on her pilgrimage. Suddenly she went from the ripe age of seventeen to a deadened ninety-nine. "Before you came, I told Gippal I'd go on a date with him for Valentine's Day. I'm so sorry...." She turned the other way so that Gippal couldn't see the first tears spill. "I don't know what to say...."  
"Neither do I," Auron said, hollowed of spirit as all he'd hoped for went to dust.  
"Well, hey," Gippal tapped Auron's arm in a merry tone, "you can join us! This is all comin' outta Praetor Baralai's pocket anyway, so by all means, come sit at our table! I don't mind you talking with Rikku!"  
"No, that's okay. I think I'll pass."  
Rikku didn't dare face Auron to check his expression. Her tears rolled, hot and stinging down the sides of her pretty face, which was becoming red and blotchy. "Auron...."  
"You don't have to say anything. I know what's going on. What a foolish thing to do, Rikku." 


	16. Dinner for Three, and a Table for Two

Chapter 15  
  
Yunie and the others must be ahead, thought Rikku. By now her tears had vanished, when she, Gippal, and Auron waited in line at the restaurant in Bevelle. She gazed around at the cream-colored scheme all around the restaurant, the flower arrangements, and Yuna and Tidus holding hands across their tiny table in the center, decorated with a bouquet of red roses and a single burning candle.  
Praetor Baralai met them at the counter, going about businessmindedly since both Auron and Rikku looked bitterly unhappy. Auron cast his eyes upon the leader of New Yevon for the first time. Baralai's white hair stood up under the supports of a sturdy blue headband like Rikku's, and a high- collared green robe with New Yevon emblems cloaked him, with its long tail hanging down the young praetor's back. A yellow decorative sash lined his waist over khaki-colored pants tucked into brown suede boots.  
"You guys must be the rest of Lady Yuna's party. I have two tables left, each are tables for two. There's one over there by Lady Yuna, and the other is in the corner. Good to have you join us this evening." Baralai's voice was rich and drawling, yet his kind golden-brown eyes clashed so unusually with his mocha-colored skin that he looked like a rather suspicious person.  
"Hey, man!" Gippal punched his friend's shoulder playfully. "You are coming to Yuna's concert tonight, right? Nooj and Leblanc'll be there, and I'm sure Paine's looking forward to seeing ya!"  
Baralai rubbed his shoulder, looking bothered by Gippal's antics. "Er, yes. An invitation from Lady Yuna is not one to turn down, is it? If you don't mind Gippal, please take your seat, and.... Hey! Paine would like to see me? Really???"  
Auron sat solely at the table Baralai pointed out in the far back corner, where nervous waiters shuffled in and out. He leaned back, ordered yet another glass of brandy, and stretched out his long legs. Rikku and Gippal sat down at the table near Yuna and Tidus. Auron only sipped his brandy, watching them.  
He didn't even pull out the chair for the lady, Auron commented to himself. What a clown.  
The moment he sat down, Gippal began exchanging gallant and victorious smiles with those that greeted him-or for that matter, even bothered to acknowledge his presence by looking at him. He seemed so proud of himself, so cool and confident, that he looked as if he'd won back his on-and-off girlfriend. Rikku sighed and crossed her ankles together under the peach tablecloth. The white candle burned between them and Gippal almost burned his menu in it, extending its leather cover and waving the flame around. Rikku could tell this was going to be one hell of a long night.  
"Isn't this great?" Gippal began in Spira's more common language.  
"Yeah. Awesome," Rikku replied in a stale tone, just to be speaking.  
"Yo!! Yo!!!" Gippal hollered to a waiter. "How's about some white wine?... Yeah, thanks, buddy!" It felt like all of Spira's eyes were burning into the two of them at that table.  
How did I know this would happen? Just how did I know? Rikku thought.  
Her date turned and looked at Rikku again. "You look beautiful."  
"Oh, really? Thank you." At least that was better. No more calling her "hot stuff" or "baby" or anything over-possessive. He cared about her, that was obvious, but she'd had it up to her eyeballs in just flirting and playing games.  
Over in the corner, Paine was still in her black warrior's outfit and sat down across from Auron, though not blocking his view of Rikku and Gippal, who were at an angle to him.  
"Would it bother you if I joined you, Sir Auron?" The reflection of the candle flame danced in her rather lovely crimson eyes and her face portrayed an unfeigned disappointment; she knew more or less what was going on between them now.  
"Not at all, sit," Auron welcomed her with a nice gesture. "Should I get you some brandy, too?"  
"I'd like that, thank you, sir. And please, don't look so upset."  
"Why should I be upset?" Auron said, though his eyebrows drooped lower and a slight pout appeared on his face.  
Paine crossed her arms against her stomach, leaned over, and shot him a knowing look. "It's none of my business, I know, Sir Auron, but the truth is that Rikku was so happy to see you... she forgot all about Gippal."  
"Right. So she led me on without even telling me about her boyfriend."  
Auron almost winced in anguish as Paine settled her hand onto his forearm, tenderly and in a way that was unlike her usual cold self. "Don't be like that. Rikku really, really likes your company. She didn't want to hurt you. You'll have to believe that." Paine, too, looked troubled by the thought of him and Rikku on less-than-pleasant terms. Her face seemed to wilt with concern and parts of her silver-brown bangs hid her eyes.  
"Okay. But it was still a bad idea, forgetting about a prior date. Irresponsible. Especially when she already has a boyfriend, for Yevon's sake," Auron complained, gripping his aching forehead and swallowing some more alcohol, adding in the mention of Yevon as an old habit.  
"Ehrmmm... Nah, I wouldn't say that. Gippal's not a very reliable guy. Nice, though. A lot like Rikku, but Gippal's not reliable. He lacks the kind of sincere determination that Rikku needs mutually. Call it an observation."  
"Should I really be convinced?"  
"Do they look like a happy pair to you right now?" Paine swiveled her eyes over their way to indicate the blond Al Bhed couple.  
"Gippal sure looks happy as a clown."  
"He loves life. He can't accept boredom, so he makes his own fun, real or just in his imagination. Kind of sad, but he just hates disappointments probably more than you do. The bottom line is," Paine explained, accepting her brandy from the waiter, "Rikku really wants to be with you right now. You just have to wait around to hear her say that, but I promise you she'll come around. Give her another chance. It was just a bad time, and she doesn't operate well when she's tied up like that."  
"Thank you. You're a great person to listen to."  
"Don't mention it," Paine said, smiling and getting up. "Now isn't the perfect time at all, but just wait and see. And thanks for the brandy. See you at the concert, Sir Auron!"  
Back at the other table, the white wine came, then Rikku took time to fully observe everything around her and fought against the radiance of the chandeliers and candles that were shining as if they were sun rays pointed directly into her face. The pleasant chatter coming from tables all around them, a few in Al Bhed, but mostly about love, drowned out and sometimes synchronized with the soft piano music and occasional string ensembles fading in and out. The smells of wine and gourmet coffee plus the aromas coming from the special sweets blended into one taste that diffused all throughout the air of pleasant temperature.  
"Cu, ruf ryfa oui paah[So, how have you been]?" Gippal asked in an eager tone, though not seeming to really care, as his face was buried in the menu and most likely drooling over the expensive selections that Baralai would be paying for.  
"Good," Rikku forced, not giving him the satisfaction of hearing her speak in their native language. Of course he wouldn't catch on that she was in a bad mood, so what the hell.  
She looks bored. Was this her only boyfriend? Is she going to think of me that way too? Auron continued watching freely, as no one even seemed to notice him. He made a mental note of the sunglasses tucked away inside his pocket, lest it should become difficult to keep watching.  
"E'fa seccat oui[I've missed you]," Gippal continued after placing their orders. "You know, I... E drehg ypuid oui y mud[I think about you a lot]."  
"Thanks," Rikku said glumly. "I... wonder what you're doing, too."  
Gippal went off on a tangent and began a long-winded discription of the projects of the Al Bhed Machine Faction. Rikku tried to pretend she was genuinely interested in hearing about what she'd missed among her people since she joined the Gullwings. Just how busy Gippal was going to be for the rest of their renewed relationship was all she cared to know.  
"Are you very happy, sphere hunting?" Gippal asked her when he saw that she may as well have fallen asleep.  
"We have a lot of fun." At last she felt the relief of being allowed to speak honestly. "It's not as rewarding a job as yours, really, but we get to fly everywhere and see lots of stuff."  
"I often think, I should someday drag you away from your frivolity, baby, and let you partake in some of our adventures. It'd be a lot more fun, if you were with me, Rikku."  
"What kind of adventures?" Rikku spiraled her fingertip around the rim of her wine glass.  
With hands outspread, Gippal spoke lively and descriptively, showing her whatever he could with enthusiastic gestures. "There's this huge machina buried within the Sanubia Sands, I just know it... we keep finding bigger and bigger pieces of machina in the Northern Expanse, and we want to make the biggest excavation in years! And with the popular and pretty Al Bhed of the Gullwings-that is, yourself-I thought maybe you might be interested in helping us raise enough money to begin the excavation. I've been thinking about it for a long time."  
"Really, now."  
I could have told you years ago that there was a machina underneath the desert. And did ya ever stop to think that maybe you're salvaging the remains of our Home, "baby"?  
Letting out a sigh, she rested her arms up onto the tablecloth, elbows straddling her untouched salad, and leaned her head against her folded hands. All her breath escaped her as she caught sight of Auron out of the corner of her eye. His pretty, exposed brown eyes seemed to delve into her and Gippal.  
Soon I'll get this over with, she determined. I don't think things will be the same as before, but I should at least set things straight.  
"Yeah! We can... rekindle all the magic there was before. Between us." Gippal licked the sauce off his lips, set down his fork, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Your childish games are so cute, Rikku, but we need you. You can't forget you're Al Bhed, sugar, no matter what anyone tells you or who tries to get in the way of that. You should pursue Spira's history the way your own people do."  
Rikku gritted her teeth and said nothing. The Gullwings did mean something to her, and something dear. So what if she'd followed the ways of the other races! Brother had picked up the common language, and most of the crew aboard the Celsius was Al Bhed anyway. What was the big idea? No matter what the Al Bhed Machine Faction did, they were a nice group and all, but as long as there were the Gullwings, and as long as Lady Yuna followed their team as an active member, they would always outdo the Faction's accomplishments. Always.  
"Yba oui ymnekrd[Are you alright]?"  
"Sure. I... I just... It's kind of overwhelming, seeing you alone like this for the first time in so long."  
"Oh!!" Gippal said suddenly, raising his wine glass. "Let's toast! How about it, sweetie?"  
"Yeah. While we're here, why not?"  
"Well, don't be so optimistic."  
"Sorry. I'm just thinking on what you said."  
"What a good girl. Here's to you, the beautiful Rikku, to me, and to our Machine Faction!" Gippal leaned his head back and drank heartily. "I love it here tonight. Life is good, especially with a pretty, and fun woman to talk to."  
He'd said our Machine Faction. Rikku wondered what he was getting at.  
"So what do you think of that, Rikku?"  
"I... it's an interesting offer."  
"Yeah! You and me owning the Machine Faction together. It's a brilliant movement, baby. I thought we might face things as they are. It only makes sense, right? You and me knowing each other for so long, and being together for so many times..."  
Yeah, "baby", but you're forgetting we've broken up so many times. For stupid reasons.  
"Okay..." Rikku sipped her wine and looked at him in a rather catty way. "What influenced this big decision all of a sudden?"  
Gippal reached over and lay his large hand upon Rikku's small, gloved one.  
"E mufa oui[I love you]."  
Auron had been watching for so long now that it had started to become boring, watching Rikku with her shoulders slumped in boredom, and Gippal leaning back like a proud king, his arm hanging over the back of his chair like he was really a somebody. Or maybe he was, Auron didn't know too well, so his reaction to seeing Gippal's hand over Rikku's didn't come as a surprise to anyone.  
"That's it, I think I need a whiskey now. Or anything harder, if you don't mind," Auron said roughly to his waiter, without meaning to be rude. He tapped his fingers against the sides of his empty brandy glass with nervous anticipation. Should Gippal dare to make one more move, he might not be able to keep himself from striding up to the couple and saying anything... or doing anything to Gippal. When the younger man didn't move his hand, Auron forgot about his order, blew out the annoying candle on his tiny table, and got up without a word, seeking the door.  
Rikku's breath became shaky but she didn't bother calling up the strength to begin crying. Nothing really surprised her anymore, yet seeing Auron leave after staying so faithfully for the first few moments only inflicted more pain upon her vulnerable heart. She knew that this wasn't what Auron needed right now, and she didn't want this either, but what went on every time Auron became this upset? Where would he go?  
"Rikku? Baby, what's the matter? Did I say something wrong?" Gippal finally retracted her hand and stared at her, perplexed.  
"Okay, look." Rikku threw down her napkin and decided to speak in Al Bhed for the first time since they walked in. "You are my friend, at least, and I know I can tell you this. So, Gippal, I'm very sorry, but, E ryja udran drehkc uh so seht. E ryja sujat uh. Drec ec kaddekh geht uv umd, tuh'd oui drehg? Fa gaab pnaygehk ib yht kaddekh pylg dukadran vun dra sucd ypcint naycuhc. E lyh'd pa jano esbundyhd du oui yvdan ymm palyica oui hajan ajah lruuca du syga dra desa vun sa. Yht ed fyc hajan muja. Ruf luimt drana buccepmo ryja ajan paah muja? E tuh'd ihtancdyht oui.  
[...I have other things on my mind. I have moved on. This is getting kind of old, don't you think? We keep breaking up and getting back together for the most absurd reasons. I can't be very important to you after all because you never even choose to make the time for me. And it was never love. How could there possibly have ever been love? I don't understand you.]"  
Auron turned around as he thought he saw her springing up, out of the corner of his eye. Everyone else turned around too, making strange looks at the pretty girl in green who was going off at her boyfriend in strings of Al Bhed. Yuna and Tidus ceased their happy, deep conversation for a moment and tried hiding their joyful smiles at the knowledge that Rikku might turn back to Auron now. Some force that had settled deep within him forced him to crack a smile at the scene. While he listened to her, though not understanding most of it, he made his way to the front door of the restaurant and waited for her there.  
And upon all of Spira, he swore the last person he wanted to be at that moment was Gippal. He didn't watch to see if Rikku would leave him with even a polite "good night" or just stalked off wordlessly. He was actually afraid that Rikku would be fuming, or worse, crying. But seeing that she was perfectly fine when she approached him, his heart loosened in relief.  
"Auron, I'm having a terrible time," Rikku told him, looking down at her shoes with a guilty, childlike smile on her face.  
"Ah, I was beginning to wonder when my date would come," he said in a somewhat joking manner, taking Rikku's hand and holding it to his chest. "Do you know I did this especially for you?"  
"How did you do it?"  
"I kept your concept of dresspheres in mind, so I talked to Shinra and he came up with this for awhile. It's kind of a dressphere, but not really. It's the effect of sphere waves versus the pyreflies. I just gave him one of Jecht's old spheres, and he extracted all the images of me."  
Rikku looked perturbed. "That's not fair. He rarely ever does things like that for us. Wonder what you did to make him agree to it."  
"You look pretty anytime," Auron told her sweetly, still holding her hand, "so you don't need much if any. But all Shinra wanted was a handshake and an autograph! Very talented, smart kid, he is."  
"Shinra's the whiz kid alright," Rikku sighed. "Earlier I meant to say sorry you can't see him that well. He's a ten-year-old child genius and wears it like a crown. So... um... what now?"  
"Are we leaving?"  
"I guess."  
"I thought you might at least want to stay for cake and champagne."  
"Not now, I don't. I just want to get out of here. I don't care if Brother gives him a ride home later, but while he's here, I can't have a good time. Anywhere but here would be nice."  
"Well, then, I can take you outside at least. We can sit on the airship for awhile, or something--"  
"Auron?" Rikku tilted her head up at him, her eyes pleading like a little girl's.  
"Hmm?" he looked down at her, exercising his twenty-five-year-old voice and freedom to use both eyes without a painful struggle to lift his right eyelid.  
"I came to apologize. And to ask you if you'd like to be my date at the party and concert."  
Auron smiled, forming creases along his clean-shaven face and tapping her nose lovingly with a fingertip. "I thought I might have to wait around until you were quiet enough for me to ask you."  
"Heyyy!" Rikku nudged him, then took his arm in the same fashion that she did Gippal a little more than half an hour ago. 


	17. Renewed Bonds

Chapter 16  
  
"Not fair!! How in the world did you get so good at this?!" Rikku had been fussing by the time the others were aboard. She, Brother, Buddy, and Shinra sat around a small table in the center of the airship's bridge as Auron had beaten Brother in his third round of Sphere Break.  
"Your progress is too great for a first-timer," Shinra commented.  
"You and I will have to challenge each other one day," Auron said, with his knees bent at an angle in a masculine position and examining a golden coin in his hand. "I think we're all ready to depart for the Moonflow now."  
"I can't believe you're actually playing that!" Tidus burst.  
"Yeah!" Rikku chimed in. "We just don't get it!"  
Not surprised in the least, Auron smiled to himself and collected the Gil he made from his victories against Rikku, Buddy, and Brother all on his first day exposed to the new game.  
"I'll just set it on auto-pilot," Buddy said before returning to the table. "I wanna see if he can beat Shinra."  
"If you beat me, then your last challenge is Lady Yuna," Shinra told him, kneeling before Auron at the table. "Shall we, then?"  
The four guys plus Nooj and Baralai gathered around the small table while Yuna led Rikku, Paine, and Leblanc to the cabin on another girl-talk session.  
"I can't help noticing your strong will back there in the restaurant, love," Leblanc told Rikku over a dry sherry at the bar, fanning herself from running up the Celsius ramp in high heels. "Once you hook a man that looks that good, never let him slip from your grip again."  
Paine snorted. "Just be careful not to say the wrong thing at the right time, is all I can tell you."  
"It was rude," added Yuna, "but I'm very proud of what you did to Gippal back there."  
"What am I being praised for? Ugh... it felt... disasteriffic," Rikku said, accepting an Al Bhed alcoholic drink from Barkeep. "I mean, sometimes I dunno why I even tried with Gippal. I really lost faith in him a long, long time ago."  
"True love is by far one of the most complicated part of life. Remember that well, love, and don't ever let a man ruin you," Leblanc said determinedly. "But seriously though..." she rested a fingertip on her cheek thoughtfully, "I think he's really good for you."  
"...Really?"  
"Let's hope she means Auron," Paine said. "You two are an odd pair, but a considerable one."  
"What you have, Rikku," Yuna spoke, "is the kind of romance that only few can really understand. It just takes a lot of heart, a lot of determination, to bring it up to the surface. I've got an idea. I'm going to sing a song just for you tonight, okay? It'll be my last one before I let Donga, Bayra, and Pukutak play so I can get to dance with Tidus. And when I sing, you and Auron had better dance together."  
"What about me and Nooj??" Leblanc whined. "Do I get a dedication too?"  
Paine rolled her eyes. "Rikku, I wanna talk to you in private." She seized the Al Bhed by the wrist and led her up the spiraling staircase while Leblanc made her futile persuasions to Yuna. The tall female warrior rested her arms against the overlook and gazed out of the skylight-windows in the ceiling. As the sky began to turn a peach-orange, she blinked and sighed.  
"What is it?" Rikku asked in all seriousness, looking up and letting the early sunset light shimmer all over her silk dress.  
"I want you to know... I talked to Auron back there, in Bevelle. I couldn't let you two fall apart. I told him that you would come back around to him if he just watched and waited. You did, and I'm glad you didn't let me down. I'm proud of you.... And I guess that's it." Paine grinned sheepishly. "You've matured. It's not too obvious on first sight, but you've definitely matured."  
"You did that for me? Oh, thank you, Paine!!" Rikku dove at her friend and threw her arms around her slim waist. Paine chuckled and rubbed her head.  
"Hey, who says we don't bond, huh?"  
"I just wonder what made you say that all of a sudden."  
"Well... I've never had moments like that. Sometimes I wonder if I'm that strong inside."  
"You're the strongest person I know."  
"That isn't the point."  
"...It's because of Baralai, isn't it? Are you afraid?"  
Color began to rise in Paine's cheeks. "That's pushing it a bit, don't you think?"  
"Okay, well, during the next sunny day in the Thunder Plains, that'll be our next discussion."  
"Sounds fair. You know, I think you just gained yourself about ten respect points right there. Keep it up." Paine rubbed Rikku's head again and made her way down the spiraling staircase.  
"...I think," Rikku said to herself as she watched the three women walked to the bridge, Paine trying to make Leblanc shut up and Yuna looking pressured, "that this is the beginning of some wonderful change around here."  
Auron had left his katana leaning against that barstool downstairs, and a moment later Rikku found herself cradling it across her hands, leaving her gloves up on the counter. There was a surging in her palms that took over her, and it seemed to be moving in her veins. Something about it suggested an ancient wisdom and power, the mysterious force that motivated Auron to do what he did. This power, in some way or another, was hers now, and tonight she, too, would be a tough warrior and fight her battle to the death, until she was sure she conquered all barriers that set her apart from this new crush.  
"I'm ready for you now, Auron," she said softly. "Please be all I've dreamed about...." 


	18. Words of Wisdom

Chapter 17  
  
The faintest periwinkle made its way around the candy-colored peach- orange the sky had blended during the flight to the Moonflow. Flutes, horns, and drums sounded as three diverse wood creatures played merrily, letting daylight go out with a sort of bang. The river rode up gently against the sandy banks that supported healthy, veiny lily pads, now empty. Like that of a greenhouse, a scent of intoxicating freshness from the forest, water plants, and the river itself produced a taste of vitality and lushness of the rich earth. The next best smell was after it had been raining elsewhere. But the Moonflow always smelled like this. Especially after what this night would bring, everyone believed the Moonflow was one place that would never die.  
"This... isn't just a private concert," Tidus said to Auron when his eyes skimmed over the multitude of people that showed up. "Hell, I don't think you can even call it a party."  
"A blowout," Auron called it. "This was supposed to be a 'private concert', wasn't it? Yuna's very popular. Not that she's never been, but just like her father, she makes a lot of friends, and she makes them well."  
"So where is Yuna?" came a voice not far from them. Auron turned to see Wakka waving at them, with a blitzball tucked under his arm. Lulu stood beside him with their son strapped around her front in a popular-style shawl that could clearly be woven only in Besaid.  
"Preparing for the concert, I guess," said Auron. "I didn't know you'd be here too."  
"We thought we might enjoy some time at home, but it got boring. Besides, Tidus went ahead and invited the Aurochs, and badgered Wakka into coming along to play. So here I am," Lulu said with a sigh. "But I can't say I regret it. Yuna did a fine job setting this up."  
"Hey, that's our Yuna, always wanting to make people happy, ya?" Wakka commented.  
"Oh, I know. All too well." Auron particularly remembered how Yuna had once chosen to marry a maester who had become more of a twisted sorcerer, just to negotiate and bring happiness to Spira.  
"You look... wonderful," Lulu said in amazement, her eyes shining. "What did you do?"  
"Technology is a great thing," Auron said with a grin. "I mostly did it for Rikku, I guess. She's shown me a lot of kindness. I'm her date for tonight."  
"How sweet!"  
Auron wanted to blush.  
"Come, let's talk some more. The music's playing nicely, and--oh, look, there goes Wakka and the rest of the men, blitzing already! Care to dance for a bit? We can chat longer."  
"My pleasure." He extended his arm out to Lulu, who took it, and moved it around her waist when they found a clearing. A few couples had already been dancing when they got there. The three musicians blared on, seeing that there were people who actually listened, for a change.  
"I miss the sunsets here," Lulu said, leading her hand to his shoulder. "This is really the first time that I've been here since he was born." The two of them smiled down upon the baby, cradled in the shawl between them. "I think he likes you."  
"I forgot to say congratulations earlier. I wish the three of you great happiness."  
"Why, thank you, Sir Auron."  
Auron led her around a few times as the blazing orange of the sky became nearer and nearer toward the earth. He recognized Rin talking nearby, a tall and intelligent Al Bhed man with blond hair leading to his chin. Upon his and Lulu's next turn, he saw Rikku laughing at Brother, who was dancing with a woman in goggles... and she looked a lot like Rin.  
"Who is that there, with Brother?" Auron asked his partner.  
"That would be Nhadala. She oversees the excavations on Bikanel Island, a very busy woman. I didn't think she'd be here either. I've heard much about her, but we've never really talked." The gentle breeze blew a few of Lulu's braids against Auron's hand.  
"Auron, you look so handsome tonight... Rikku must be so happy to accompany you. I wonder, whatever happened to Gippal?" Lulu continued on.  
"It wasn't the most pleasant of dinner dates," Auron reported. "I couldn't really tell what was going on since they were speaking in Al Bhed the entire time, but she came up to me and said she wasn't having a good time, so we left together."  
"How noble of you!" She poked him gently in the shoulder. "Rikku has certainly changed since you've been gone. No one to restrain her from doing rash things. Just look at her."  
"I kind of like seeing her changes," Auron admitted. "Not my thing, of course, but she's got style. She's more daring, more confident. A way a former guardian should be, in some way."  
"No complaints here, either. And if you'll pardon me for saying so... I really think it's a good idea for you to spend time together, especially on Valentine's Day."  
"An old man like me, with her? She's so pretty, but so full of youth. I could never keep up with her standards."  
Lulu laughed slightly. "Oh, Auron. Well, I definitely choose you over Gippal."  
"Seems everyone does."  
"They've known each other for a long time, and although Gippal means well, he and Rikku cannot establish anything no matter what they both believe. A mere passing attraction, at least that's what it looks like to me. Girls mature faster than boys do. That's why Gippal doesn't understand love, and cannot give love, which is what I think Rikku subconsciously wants."  
"Paine said something like that earlier. You know, she kind of reminds me of you."  
"I take that as a compliment. I'm happy knowing there is a touch of me in someone who can be a new, different sort of guardian to Yuna, while I'm at home with a family."  
"So what is it you suggest?"  
"Go to Rikku," Lulu sighed, "and stay by her, for as long as you can. I noticed as early as when you arrived in Besaid. You make her flustered, just like a little girl. If I know Rikku well, which I'm sure I do, she needs someone like you so that she doesn't lose sight of herself in the whirlwinds of growing up and experiencing new things. That is... sigh... that is how Chappu was to me. And that kind of bond between two people is worth anything to a girl her age. Trust me."  
As Lulu drew away from her partner, she cradled her son in her arms and watched as the sun touched the horizon. Auron absorbed the breathtaking view as the river turned passionate colors. If it hadn't been for the silhouettes of Tidus, Wakka, and the Besaid Aurochs practicing blitzball moves in the river, and if Lulu was away, Auron might have moved his arm around Rikku's waist and pulled her close to him. Perfection, her slim body near him while the night was young and they were too, her arms up around his shoulders and neck and his hands on her stunning silk dress.  
When stars dotted the smoky purple sky, the crowd moved in and Yuna took her stance up on a platform. Multicolored lights shifted in beams and illuminated her, standing there in a dress that was indigo at the top and had slate-blue frills around her neck as a collar and trailing down the middle until it billowed out into a multi-layered skirt at the bottom. Her brown suede boots reached high up to her knees. Cords strung around her arms and tied purple folds of satin around her forearms.  
"She has a habit of making formal speeches before she sings," Lulu told Auron discreetly. "They're very profound. She speaks with a wisdom you would be proud of."  
"All my songs tonight," Yuna said into the microphone, "will be about love. Not just because it's Valentine's Day, but because lately, and today especially, I saw love all around me of all kinds. This morning I was woken up with a kiss and I was told those words, 'I love you'. I visited my friends in Besaid this afternoon, and the way their faces lit up with joy when they looked after their son showed me they love him. Just now I saw a friend dancing with a friend, most likely discussing things that really mattered. But importantly, today I saw love starting, in action. Tonight let us hope that two souls present here will bare themselves as two who love each other, because feelings unexpressed for two years have brought them this far. So I hope you two dance before the night is over, because through these songs, and the looks of everyone watching me now, I know all of our hearts are with you." 


	19. I Might Leave You

Chapter 18  
  
As if to pretend Yuna's speech was in a foreign language, Rikku and Auron congregated in the center of the crowd, not attracting too much attention, as lights dazzled across Yuna's body. The high summoner broke off into song and a rather complicated dance sequence, while the lights and those of the bombastic fireworks overhead reflected on the two ex- guardians' faces.  
"Yuna is capable of anything," Auron commented, watching her. "I wasn't aware she had such a voice."  
"We're hoping she might come out with a music album someday," Rikku told him, "but there are debates starting up over who gets to produce it."  
Auron took his eyes away from Yuna and focused on his young date. She looked as if she might begin to dance herself, but there was a hint of boredom in her eyes, having seen Yuna perform this song several times. She was like a blossoming flower, with colored speckles showering her like raining stars as the fireworks flew up and faded into the night as their lights began to fall.  
"Come with me," he told her, taking her by the wrist and forgetting his new freedom to hold her hand in his. "I'd like to buy you a drink, if I may."  
"Um... sure. Thank oui," Rikku said nervously, watching the ends of her dress as she tried to keep up with his pace. Her eyes wandered up to the moon, strikingly visible now and in a soft, blurry silver aura. Clarity shrouded in vagueness. Normally she didn't believe in omens; why was there a tugging at her heart when she saw it, and why did it feel so significant?  
"Two glasses of champagne, and one Eternal Primrose flower, please," Auron said discreetly to the Hypello and the Al Bhed woman who were joint- operating a concession and souvenir stand.  
But Rikku heard that.  
"H-how do you know about the Eternal Primrose?" she asked nervously.  
"Twelve years ago," Auron said, lifting his head to the sky, "on my first pilgrimage, Lord Braska taught me a little bit about the Al Bhed. His wife--your aunt--gave him an Eternal Primrose before they married. He saved it until the wedding, where they scattered the petals into the water."  
Rikku had known that story all too well. Growing up, her Al Bhed girl friends had told her about the Eternal Primrose, and they watched teenaged boys bring their sweethearts to any oasis, scattering petals with the knowledge that the two would be bound forever by love. Now, it had been watered down to a commercial Valentine's Day game more than a custom. Still, Auron couldn't have seen the power behind its original meaning. He was probably trying to impress her.  
She looked at it, glimmering a beautiful, gradual blend of pink into green on its wide, numerous petals.  
"Put it in your hair," Auron recommended. "It'll look nice, with your dress."  
"Drehg oui," she said breathlessly, still fingering the petals and the pearly center.  
"Will you keep me company, and walk around for a bit then?"  
"After you've given me this gift, of course!" Rikku exclaimed, staying at his side as their shoes crumbled the sand beneath them. It felt like the night was never going to end, and she whispered this wish into the flower while Auron had his attention on Yuna's performance, for a time.  
"...It's been a long time," he finally spoke, as they kept walking aimlessly along the banks.  
"You say that a lot," Rikku laughed.  
"I guess it does sound strange, to someone who hasn't seen what I have."  
"But are you having a good time, since you got back?"  
"I'm relaxed. Thank you."  
Moments of silence passed between them, but they walked side-by-side up and down the shore. They watched Tidus, Wakka, and the Besaid Aurochs knock a blitzball around in the water, cheering, yelling, and laughing at one another. Couples danced to Yuna's music. The Celsius sent large beams of light revolving around the stage. Nothing felt better than seeing everyone cloaked in easygoing contentment.  
"I wanted to discuss something with you," Auron spoke up. Rikku tilted her head toward him attentively.  
"Yeah?"  
Auron made his way toward the water's edge and beckoned her to come near. He set his overcoat down so that she could sit on the sandy shore beside him. Rikku tucked her knees up under her and listened.  
"I don't know why, but I have to tell you that I've been enjoying myself in your company today."  
"I've been having fun too."  
"It's different from that. With you... I mean... no, I don't know how to say it."  
"Either way, I'm listening. I'll try to make some sense of it."  
"I've just been trying to figure everything out, piece by piece. I finally realized that I'm here, again, because I've connections in this world that keep me from the next. Maybe this has something to do with you, that's all."  
"Well," Rikku said thoughtfully, following his gaze to the beautiful night sky, "you were a guardian. Twice. There are ways of life that you were used to. I can't blame you for missing that."  
"It's not like that either. But don't get mad; I appreciate your listening to me. It's just that... when I came here, and when I saw you again today, I felt reminded that there was something I'd left alone in Spira. Something I'd forgotten to do. Maybe it's because of your eyes."  
"My eyes?" Rikku repeated, looking confounded.  
"You have unique eyes. It's hard to forget them. Anyway, after talking with you all day, I could remember so much that I'd left behind." Auron reached for her hand and stroked it gently, then found the flower in her lap, dividing the petals between them. One by one he tossed them into the water and watched them float away, until Rikku followed his lead. "I love being here," he continued. "I never wanted to leave until my time was right. Two years ago, I thought my time was right, that it had finally come. Then I showed up again today, and later on, with you, I told myself it was because I let myself go in Zanarkand after Braska and Jecht left, and then I thought guarding Yuna would be enough to compensate. Now I know I'm here because I'd never really lived, at least not in the way every person wants to. So much I've missed out on..."  
A smile set on Rikku's face as she watched the last petal drift away from them, carried out into some far away place she imagined, somewhere dreamlike where losses never existed, yet there was the joy of getting something back which had been lost for years, or perhaps never discovered. All that existed was here and now, sitting at Auron's side in a way she'd never imagined she would years ago, scattering Eternal Primrose petals, watching the stars, and hearing each other breathe in tranquility. She couldn't dare break the silence intermingled with the soft, low hum of Auron's voice as he spoke.  
"And I wanted to say, while we're here and making the most of everything, that this night has so much meaning for me. And if in some way I'm not allowed to stay here, and I should be going back soon... I want to tell you that you've been so--"  
"No, Auron!" Rikku gasped, letting her tone of voice change. "Listen... you can't leave us. We won't let you. Why would you go?"  
"I wouldn't have a choice, Rikku. I was also going to say that in spite of everything, I now understand how inevitable it is to let go, without having any choices. My being here, this happiness, cannot last. I'm not to decide whether I am or I'm not, but I shouldn't stay any longer than I'm meant to be here. And that means with you, too."  
"I don't understand!" Rikku's face fell and she took on a gloomy disposition.  
"I know you don't. I didn't really expect you to. But when this night is over, all I want is to be able to vanish again discreetly, for you and the others to wake up one morning to find that I'm gone, or something, rather than watching me go and all of us resisting. That's why I'm afraid, and you are too, of letting things go on as they are. It's painful for me because of...you."  
"I'm not listening to this anymore." Rikku stood up as she tried to conceal her lower jaw trembling. "You're only upsetting me. You're not disappearing, Auron. If it has something to do with me, and if you're right, then... then I'll go away, to keep you here longer."  
Before Auron could get up and come after her, she'd walked away fast enough to slip away into the smoky blackness of the night, and encase herself in obscurity, so no one would ever know.... 


	20. Don't Forget Me

Chapter 19  
  
"Rikku? Rikku!!!!" Auron yelled, carrying his jacket draped over his arm and searching frantically for the distraught little Al Bhed.  
What the hell have I done?!? I'm not done yet, not now that I've come this far. I've got to tell her.... I've got to figure something out. This can't happen.  
"Rikku, I'm sorry, I'm so damn sorry. Please, forget everything I said, just come out here. Please believe me-I'd fight off everything if it meant I could stay with you longer...."  
Auron walked alone in the darkness, with the waters of the Moonflow reaching up to his ankles. He shook his fists by his side and stamped into the wet sand.  
"DAMN IT!!!!!!" Looking every which way, she was still nowhere in sight. No lights were on inside the Celsius, and he'd already looked for her among the crowd. His eyes ached for a flash of shimmering emerald-jade green and any trace of long, golden hair hanging straight down.... When he felt like both of them were lost in this ridiculous ocean of loud colors and music, he trudged his way toward the end of the banks, fuming at himself.  
For awhile he thought maybe things were supposed to end this way. Maybe it was easier, less complicated on everyone's lives, if he and Rikku existed in separation.  
That's right, shouldn't you know by now that it wasn't meant to be? Auron asked himself. Not only are you about twice her age, but you're also walking Spira as an unsent. You have no reason to be here.  
"Well, then, get me out of here!!!" Auron shouted into the air, as if a force would bring him back to the Farplane. Not like it would work, of course. Not while he still looked twenty-five.  
"The Celsius is that way, you know," Rikku's voice reached him from somewhere he couldn't see. He looked all about him.  
"No, not that way! THAT way!!"  
Auron turned around and looked up, seeing Rikku sitting in the passengers' area aboard a sleeping shoopuf. Moonlight sluiced all around her silhouette and he had to squint to see her.  
"What are you doing up there? You had me worried, running off like that! Women, I swear..." Auron ran up to the mint-green, elephant-like creature with very short ears. Its curling proboscis rested in the water, and the shoopuf didn't seem to mind Rikku up on its back.  
"Coming down any minute soon?" Auron called up to her.  
"I don't know," Rikku told him, standing up and leaning against a pole that supported the canopy hanging over the passengers' area.  
"Look, I'm sorry I upset you. I'm willing to take all that back if you come down."  
"Why don't you come up here?"  
"Fine." Auron walked around the shoopuf's massive body and Rikku threw a rope ladder down at him from its pillar-like hind leg. Auron made his way up and seated himself on a cushioned bench adjacent to Rikku. "Now, why are we up here?"  
"I don't know, really. I thought I might enjoy the view from here. It's a great distraction." Rikku's eyes didn't meet his just yet.  
"Rikku... will you forgive me for saying that? And if not, are you able to forget?"  
"...Okay." She sat back down, across from him, and the moment she did so, he got out of his seat and knelt at her knees. Rikku folded her gloved hands nervously in her lap, until Auron took one of her hands in his, and gazed into her eyes.  
"Let me rephrase everything. I've never known a better joy than being with you tonight even while I was still living-"  
"...Auron..."  
In the mellowed background, which was still hard to drown out, Rikku heard Yuna announce her final song coming on. The melody of a sweet piano and string prelude carried in the caressing breeze.  
"Oh, no!" she exclaimed.  
"What is it?" Auron looked startled, lightly squeezing her hand.  
"Yunie's final song!" Rikku retracted her hand, jumped up, and made her way out from underneath the canopy, carefully walking onto the shoopuf's neck.  
"What are you doing, Rikku!! That's not safe!"  
Though she couldn't make out the faces, a few heads turned out of the several dozens as if to search for her and Auron dancing together. Not that she cared at this particular moment, but since the evening started, she hadn't danced with anyone. Only faintly could she hear the first few lyrics of a love song she'd never heard before...  
It took just one more step to make her feel the cold water slap her face. She slid on one of her high-heeled sandals and tumbled into the river before she knew what was going on. Standing up, throwing her hair back over her shoulders and gaining her breath back again, she waved up at Auron, who was crouching down over her, still atop the shoopuf's neck.  
"What did I tell you," Auron shook his head. "Are you alright?"  
"Fine, fine," she said. "You should come down here. The water feels  
great!" She splashed a wave up at him, and just as he swiped the water off his face, he lost his balance and landed in the water next to her, just as fast.  
"Thanks a lot," he said sarcastically.  
"Shhhhhh!!!!" Rikku hissed. "This is Yunie's last song, you know!"  
Auron stepped forward and faced her, then they both looked Yuna's way and listened to the music. Slowly, like candles being lit one by one, firefly-like lights with soft pastel colors encased themselves inside the moonlilies. The water began to glow like a sea of stars in rainbow-hued, marble-like fluid like a child's blowing-bubble formula. This and Yuna's sweet, euphonic voice made it all perfect.  
  
"...Those days are gone  
Now I want you so much  
The night is long  
And I need your touch  
  
Don't know what to say  
Never meant to feel this way  
Don't wanna be  
Alone tonight  
  
What can I do  
To make you mine?  
Falling so hard, so fast, this time  
What did I say?  
What did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?"  
  
The pyreflies, a white-gold and lamplight now, were beginning to nearly blind Auron, but it only meant the more clearly he was able to see Rikku. Her skin glowed more golden-tan than before now, and she looked like an angel. He should have seen it before, the way her hair hung down straight with just a few braids hanging at the side. She transformed into a fairy-tale princess of some sort in one day, just for him.  
Damn, she's beautiful, Auron thought as he caught himself moving his arm around Rikku's waist.  
  
Let's hope you know what I mean one day, Auron, Braska had told him. That you will marry and understand the sentiment connected with small things like these.  
I doubt that. Lord Braska, you should stay motivated. Everything, all those memories, will double their meanings once you defeat Sin and save them forever, Auron replied.  
That's inspiring, Auron, Braska replied, nodding and carrying on across the Calm Lands, letting his Yevon temple robe hang down and trail behind him.  
I understand what you're saying, but it's senseless to get worked up over a banquet.  
Relax, Auron. They were just giving him a gift, a chance to have a little fun before whacking the crap outta Sin at the end of the pilgrimage, Jecht said, coming up and slapping the more stoic guardian on the shoulder. He certainly looked the type of person who would say that, rugged with a beard, long hair, a bare chest, and bare feet.  
And he didn't dance with anyone, just stood in the corner watching, Braska said, only a blend of blue, red, black, and white in the darkness of the very early morning.  
They wanted to stop your pilgrimage and make you a maester! Auron exclaimed. I wasn't just going to stand there if they were going to force it upon you!  
I wouldn't be surprised if it's because Auron's never danced with a woman, Jecht said, crossing his arms and getting in Auron's way, as Braska progressed a good twenty paces ahead. I should have known all those years as a monk didn't do you any good.  
If that's what you want to call it, Auron replied, hanging his head down and his arm out of his coat, pushing Jecht aside to catch up.  
Is that what it is, Auron? You shouldn't feel ashamed. Braska turned around and smiled at his guardian amiably, letting the chilling wind whip his two long ponytails around his face.  
Can we drop it? Auron demanded impatiently. You know we don't have much farther to go.  
I think we can stop just this once for fun, Braska said, a thoughtful look spreading across his young and handsome face. You said yourself that at three in the morning we should be at an inn resting.  
Can we sleep under the stars tonight?! A bright and excited look crossed Jecht's face. I wanna do that just this once before the pilgrimage is over! That's fun!  
If you want.  
Auron stifled an exasperated sigh. I guess if Braska approves I have nothing to say against it.  
Braska and Jecht exchanged mischevious smiles. The summoner nodded and the blitzer approached Auron with the same troublesome grin. He lay a hand on Auron's shoulder and took his hand.  
What the hell are you doing?!  
What does it look like I'm doing? I'm showing you how to dance.  
You've got to be joking me.  
You've gotta learn sometime, don'tcha?  
This is senseless! Auron tried to pry himself out of Jecht's grip, but damn, he couldn't. So there really were practical advantages to being a star athlete.  
We're all adults here!  
Oh, please, Auron? Braska asked nicely. Just a good laugh before my journey is over. It'll really... cheer me up, you know? I want to see this.  
Yeah, Auron, show Braska you've got some human left in you. Have a good time.  
This is your idea of me having a good time? Auron said, perplexed, almost whining. Braska... will this really make you happy? I mean, honestly, is this entertaining for you?  
It would be really nice if you did this for him, Jecht told him.  
Braska only smiled pleadingly.  
Fine, but if anyone sees or hears about it, I'm going to kill you, Auron groaned.  
Put your arm around the pretty lady's waist, Braska said, guiding him as Jecht smiled tauntingly.  
Auron did as instructed with his face burning, though fortunately, no one could really see at three in the morning.  
And he wasn't that bad either, he only stepped on my foot about four times, Jecht said when the ordeal was over and they had carried on with the pilgrimage.  
When the Final Aeon was obtained in Zanarkand, and his friends were gone, Auron recalled that memory with a foolish smile and never forgot it. Even if it meant dancing with Jecht again, he longed to experience the whimsy of the young, lost yesterdays.  
  
"How Did I Fall in Love With You", Backstreet Boys 


	21. Finally

Chapter 20  
  
The glide in the water, against her bare back with the exception of a string holding her dress together, was natural and instinctual. Catching on, Rikku looked at him, her eyes shining amiably and almost moist. Her hand interlocked with his and they began to step together, rhythmically through the water and the music.  
The Al Bhed's tender smile and hopeful eyes, shining with the happiness Auron could only hope for in dreams, contributed to the beauty that swallowed him, and would possess him forever. If he didn't have such a strong desire to behold her charm eternally, while a million forevers came and gone and he could still see her through two eyes, he could have wept for the perfection of his time spent before returning back to the Farplane. Her soft, lush breasts pressed against him and Auron's arms tightened around her thin waist.  
Rikku leaned her head against his shoulder, from time to time closing her eyelids and taking in the scent of his cologne. His heart beating against hers, his slow and calm breathing, were so real now that she promised herself this would last. She didn't let Yuna go two years ago, and after what she'd gone through today, there was no way he was leaving her. Her hand tightened on Auron's shoulder and she let out a content sigh. They would just keep dancing, until the first cracks of daylight streaked through the pyreflies and splashed them with orange-gold. How beautiful he was to her just now, as he had always been, except the magic of it all was that it became real.  
  
"I hear your voice and I start to tremble  
Brings back the chain that I resemble  
I cannot pretend  
That we can still be friends  
Don't wanna be  
Alone tonight  
  
What can I do  
To make you mine?  
Falling so hard, so fast, this time  
What did I say?  
What did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?..."  
  
Auron stepped, each time, and Rikku followed in perfect synch. The ends of her silk gown often sluiced between their legs in the flow of the river. Pyreflies began to spiral around them slowly, as Auron led her into this suspended oblivion where nothing mattered, except this song, this dance, and these two hearts melting as one, in a saccharine, gentle aching for one another.  
  
"I wanna say this right  
And it has to be tonight  
I just need you to know  
I don't wanna live this lie  
I don't wanna say goodbye  
With you I wanna spend  
The rest of my life...!"  
  
Yuna's punchful notes rang out and vibrated, reaching them along with the piano and string crescendo, evoking sadness and deep yearning in the two lost, lonely souls. Those pyreflies, souls that had been lost for those long-forgotten years, guided them in chances and opportunities that this timeless man, and girl of everlasting youth, could not cheat fate and miss a second time.  
This last line seemed to pierce them both hardest. Rikku's watery eyes darted inevitably into Auron's fiery, reminiscent ones. Like children, they looked to each other in fearful anticipation. The easygoing movement of the Al Bhed's spiraling eyes, following Auron's dark pupils, seemed to reveal everything. They were drowning in each other. Auron's fingertips reached for Rikku's face and his nose was nearly touching hers.  
His voice began to crackle, like that of a nervous adolescent. "Can I tell you something?"  
"Y-yes..." The tears almost spilled as Rikku's wet, gloved fingers sought out Auron's neck. His hand caressed her back and her senses shut down to everything else in existence except the pyreflies' candy-like glow reflecting on his clean-shaven face, framed by stray wisps from his long brunette ponytail, his spicy-sweetness she could just taste, the roughness and softness of his jacket and his arms warming her in the cold of the water, and the low, sexy coarseness in his half-whispers. The only other thing she realized was that they'd stopped moving.  
"I want you to come closer," Auron said, pulling her in and resting his forehead onto hers, their eyes half-open. "We haven't... talked like this before, Rikku. This may be the perfect time to tell you, since I might not get the chance again. I hope you're listening, because this time I want to tell you, that I..."  
  
"What can I do  
To make you mine?  
Falling so hard, so fast, this time  
What did I say?  
What did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?"  
  
"...love you," they whispered at the same time. The first tears rolled down Rikku's cheeks, intermingling with the freshness of the river's water, still dripping down off her hair from her fall into the Moonflow. Through half-closed eyelids, Rikku saw only a flash of the clear sepia of his iris and a set of beautiful, healthy eyelashes, and the two came as close as they could to locking onto each other's eyes in a fixed, deep, captivating stare. Auron leaned in and Rikku stepped closer, finally finding her determination in blind instinct.  
A soft, high-pitched singing came from somewhere around him, and the pyreflies gathered all around Auron's body, causing him to glow. A white aura surrounded him before the pyreflies scattered again, then the old scar appeared over his eye and the man he was before, in his mid-thirties before his time, rugged and worn from a life without this joy, stood before her.  
"It's-it's the spell of the pyreflies counteracting the sphere waves," Auron choked softly, his face still close to hers and his eyes almost shut. "I'm sorry that... it didn't... last......" His voice trailed off as Rikku clenched both his shoulders tightly in her gloved fingers, passionately, and yearning. Now he knew he was never alone in these feelings. Come what may later, he wanted nothing more than to do this now, screw explanations until later.  
His lonely, long-untouched lips came in contact with her pink, glossy, full ones, caressing gingerly, with that same fluffy softness as if a feathers from an angel's wing had drifted and landed on their mouths, or the pixie dust of the moonlilies swept up onto their lips. Heat blazed within them, and Auron tightened his arms around Rikku's waist and shoulders. Rikku's trembling fingers came up and stroked his chin, her heart pounding and tears falling into the Moonflow. Auron felt the tiny shudder in Rikku's body and rubbed her shoulders as their kiss deepened. The blonde moved her arms up and around his shoulders and neck.  
"...I love you," they whispered again together as they withdrew to catch their breath. Auron's thumbs brushed away the crystalline tears that caught the glow around them, forming rainbow-hued streaks down her face. He kissed her neck, and she choked again on the joyful tears before their lips met again and they seemed to melt together, their hearts fluttering as the only sounds in the universe other than the turning waters and singing of the pyreflies. 


	22. Epilogue: You Take My Breath Away

Epilogue  
  
[You Take My Breath Away, by Sarah Brightman]  
  
We saw the holy men come in from Sanchi  
We touched their souls and heard the martyrs crying  
Along the fields of red we took the strange brew  
The windless sky diwali moon were calling to me  
The deeper I go, the higher I fly with you  
  
You take my breath away  
  
The sky was a rich, blue-violet color and the last traces of stars in the night's sky were smeared like dull, blemished pearls. The color reflected and blended in Rikku's green eyes and Auron could almost see a new poem, a new love saying, or a new song, being written in them. As the Celsius rolled into motion, they watched as streaks of peach, then nectarine orange colors shone through clouds that were by this time the color of bruises and veins. It felt like it was not silent up in the morning sky, but that the whole world had turned mute while this was happening. The sun, glowing neon, began to emerge gradually, so brightly that its colors were indistinguishable. Their faces lightened-Auron's looking rosier and hers looking more golden.  
Sunbeams were orange liquid, poured against rocky-pearl clouds that rushed past them, and it washed over the Celsius deck, deepening the blood red and nullifying the mysterious blue flames. The rush of air whipped at Rikku's braids, a sloppy mess supported by that blue headband. Auron reached for her hand, squinting underneath his sunglasses at the excitement in her face.  
"Higher, Brother!!!!" Rikku yelled, jumping up and down.  
"Ah--ah--ah--Roger!!!!!!" Brother's voice, muffled in static, sounded through the intercom after a loud, obnoxious yawn.  
Auron's heart tugged in anxiousness as Rikku ran up to the front of the Celsius, its nose pointed up higher, and it felt like the earth and sky, too, had begun to raise up.  
Blinding laser-orange streaked through them and they could hear Brother's groan about the strong light. Rikku insisted, and it felt that only she and Auron were flying away into the sun. Auron came up behind her and took him against her inside his coat. Rikku blinked back tears and gripped his arms underneath the heavy red overcoat, and felt one of those thick, muscular arms cross over her bare stomach. They rushed together into the new day together as one, and kissed in celebration of each other when Auron did not, and wouldn't ever, disappear. 


End file.
